Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 1 · Part 15
EXERCITAT. XV. Of the Prieſts apparell. A ceremoniall appendix of Command 2.
Exod. 28.2. And thou ſhalt make holy garments for Aaron thy brother, for glory and beautie.
THe Prieſts were cloathed in linnen when they ſerved in the Sanctuary, Ezek. 44.17.The Prieſts might we are no wooll in the Sanctuary. And it ſhall come to paſſe, that when they ſhall enter in at the gates of the inner court, they ſhal be cloathed with linnen garments, and no wooll ſhall come upon them, while they miniſter in the gates of the inner court, and within.
Firſt, Alluſion. they had linnen breeches to cover their nakedneſſe, Chriſt is he that muſt cover the ſhame of our nakedneſſe that it doe not appeare, Reve. 3.18. they had linnen coats reaching downe to their feete; linnen ſignifieth righteouſneſſe in the Scripture, Revel. 19.8. therefore David prayeth Pſal. 132.9. Alluſion. Let thy Prieſts bee cloathed with righteouſneſſe.
When they were in the Sanctuary they wore onelyonly linnen, and out of the Sanctuary they wore wooll,The Iewes called a worldly minded Prieſt the man with the woollen cloathe. the Iewes had a proverbe, when they ſaw a worldly minded Prieſt, they uſed to ſay, there goeth the man with the woollen cloaths, becauſe he minded nothing his linnen cloathing, his Sanctification and righteouſneſſe.
Theſe cloathes reached downe to their feete, and therefore Chriſt our Highprieſt appeared having foreign and cloathed with a garment downe to the feete, Revel. 1.13. Moreover they had a linnen girdle which ſignified truth and conſtancie in Chriſts adminiſtration, Eſay. 22. 21. And I will cloath him with thy robe, and ſtrengthen him with thy girdle, Alluſion. it ſignifieth likewiſe the conſtancie, truth, and perſeverance of Chriſtians, Ephe. 6.14. ſtand therefore having your loynes girt about with truth, the garments were common to the Highprieſt with the reſt of the Prieſts.
The Highprieſt had ſome ornaments that were proper to himſelfe, firſt a robe of blew with bels, an Ephod of Gold, blue, purple, ſcarlet, and fine linnen, a breaſtplate, a Miter of ſine linnen, a plate of pure gold upon his forehead.
The Highprieſt had garments proper to himſelfe, therefore in the ſecond Temple when the Highprieſts wanted the annointing oyle, when they ſaw the Highprieſt, they ſayd not; there goeth the annoynted of the Lord;foreign multiplicatis veſtibus. but there goeth the man with the many cloaths, merubha begadim.
He had a broydered girdle which he wore about his paps, therefore Chriſt is ſayd to be girt about the paps with a golden girdle, The Prieſts might not weare their girdle but about their breaſts.Reve. 1.13. So the ſeven Angels came out of the Temple having their breaſts girded with golden girdles, Reve. 15.6. and Ezek. 44.18. the Prieſts were forbidden to gird themſelves in the ſweating places, that is, about their loynes.
Obj. But it is ſayd, Eſay. 11.5. righteouſneſſe ſhall be the girdle of his loynes, and faithfulneſſe the girdle of his reines, therefore it may ſeeme that he wore his girdle about his middle.
Anſw. Righteouſneſſe was the girdle of his loynes, and fathfulneſſe the girdle of his reines,Why Chriſt was girt about the loynes and reines. to ſignifie, that there was no concupiſence in Chriſt here, or ſinfull luſt; and he was girt about the paps with a golden girdle to ſignifie that his heart was holy and pure without ſinne.
He had a plate of gold upon his forehead, and holineſſe to the Lord written in it, and therefore he was called the Saint of the Lord, Pſal. 106.16.The plate of gold. This plate had holineſſe to the Lord written in it, but Zachariah propheſied that holineſſe to the Lord ſhall be written upon the bridles of the horſes, Zach. 14.20. that is, there ſhall be ſuch holineſſe under the Goſpel that the meaneſt ſhall have holineſſe written upon his forehead, as the Prieſts had under the Law.
Theſe prieſtly ornaments ſignified Chriſts Kingly,The ſignification of the Highprieſts garments. Prieſtly, and Propheticall office, his Kingly office was typed by his Crowne which he wore, his Prieſtly office was ſignified by the breaſtplate upon which he carried the names of the twelve Tribes, and Vrim and Thummim; the Prieſt did two things, as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh, Heb. 5.1. foreign & foreign, things which pertained to God, and things which pertained to us: the things which he did from God to us, were repreſented by Vrim & Thummim, and the things which he did from us to God were repreſented by the breaſtplate w,herein he carried the twelve ſtones, and his propheticall office was ſignified by his bels.
The prieſtly garment was put upon Aaron by Moyſes; The diſaraying of Aaron, what it meant.and yet Moyſes is commanded to ſtrippe Aaron of them, and diſaray him. The taking off of his garments, and putting them upon Eleazar, ſignified the taking awas of his office and giving it to another. So when Eliakim was cloathed with Shebnas robe, Eſay. 22.15. it ſignified that his office ſhould be taken from him, and given to Eliakim. So the ſtripping of Aaron ſignified the diſanulling of the Prieſthood for the weakneſſe thereof, Heb. 7.14. and when he was ſtript of his Prieſtly garments for his ſinnes wch he had committed, Num. 20.12. he and all the people were taught to expect a better Prieſthood of the ſame of God who is perfected for evermore, Heb. 7.28. and this prieſthood was continued from Aaron to Eleazar, and from him to Phinehas, and had no end untill Chriſt came, who was a Prieſt after the order of Melchizedeck, the true Eleazar, the helpe of God.
The garments which the Prieſt wore when he went into the holieſt of all.The Highprieſt had other garments which he wore when he entred into the holieſt of all upon the day of expiation, he was all cloathed in white, and having finiſhed his ſervice that day, he layd aſide theſe cloathes and never wore them any more, and Aaron ſhall come into the Tabernacle of the congregation, and ſhall put off the linnen garments which he put on when he went into the holy place, & ſhall leave them there, Lev. 16.23. The Highprieſt layd aſide all his ornaments that day when he went into the holieſt of all, to ſignifie unto us, that the Leviticall Prieſthood was to be laid aſide, and alſo that Chriſt would give up his Kingdome to his Father, 1 Cor. 15.24. that is, he would not exerciſe the function of a mediator any more in the Church, and that he would give up his perſonall kingdome, but not his eternall kingdome.
The Sacrifices and ceremonies under the Law had relation to Chriſt.All the Ceremonies and Sacrifices under the Law had relation to Chriſt, they were but the ſhaddow, and he was the body.
To his conception.Firſt the Nazarite muſt be ſanctified in his mothers wombe, to ſignifie that Ieſus the true Nazarite ſhould be conceived without ſinne in the wombe of the Virgin.
To his natures.Secondly, his two natures were ſignified by the Goate that was killed, and the ſcape-Goate, and by the two Sparrowes, the one killed, & the other let goe. So by the Angels aſcending and deſcending upon the Ladder, the Angels aſcending ſignifying his Godhead whom they all aſcend to honour; and deſcending to miniſter unto him as man.
To his birth.In his birth Mary offered for herſelfe and for her Sonne, to ſignifie that he became legally uncleane for us to purge our uncleanneſſe.
His offices, King, Prieſt, and Prophet,To his offices. typed by the Highprieſts garments and ornaments.
His death by the Sacrifices,To his death. and his lifting up upon the Croſſe by the braſen Serpent, his buriall by Ionas living in the Whales belly three dayes, his reſurrection by the firſts, and therefore he is called the firſt fruits of them that ſlept, 1 Cor. 15.20. and the fifty dayes betwixt the firſt harveſt and the gathering of the full harveſt, ſignified the fifty dayes betwixt Chriſts reſurrection, and the comming downe of the holy Ghoſt upon the Apoſtles.