Exposition of the Laws of Moses, Exegesis 8 · Chapter 6
CHAPTER VI. Of the anoynting of their Kings, and whether the Kings and Prieſts were anoynted with the ſame Oyle or not.
PSAL. 89.27. I hauehave found David my ſervant, with my holy Oyle hauehave I anointed him.
How the anointing of the Kings and Prieſts pertaineth to the Iudiciall Law.ALthough the anointing of the Kings and Prieſts was a thing ceremoniall under the Law, yet thus farre it falleth under the Iudiciall Law: firſt, what Kings and their ſonnes ſucceeding them were anointed; ſecondly, whether the Prieſts and the Kings were anointed with the ſame Oyle or not.
There were three ſorts of perſons anointed under the Law, Kings, Prieſts, and Prophets.
All the Prieſts at the firſt were anointed.All the Prieſts were anointed at the firſt, both the high Prieſts and the inferior Prieſts, Levit. 8. but afterwards onelyonly the high Prieſt was anointed and his ſonnes after him, Levit. 6.21. & 21.10. & 16.32. therefore he was called the anointed of the Lord.
How the Prieſt was anointed.The Prieſt when he was anointed, firſt, he was anointed with Oyle, ſecondly, ſprinkled with bloud, and thirdly, with bloud and oyle, Levit. 8. The firſt was upon his head, the ſecond upon his fleſh, and the third upon his garments.
So the King was anointed,What Kings were anointed. but the Kings ſonne was not anointed, if his father was anointed before him; one anointing ſerved for both, becauſe the Kingdome is the Kings inheritance for ever, Deut. 17.20. But if there had beene a ſedition, they did anoint him, to pacifie the people, and ſettle the ſedition, and to make knowne who was the right King; as Salomon was anointed,Maymont in his Treatiſe of the Implements of the Sanctuary, cap. 1. ſect. 4. becauſe of the ſedition of Adonijah, 1 King. 1. and Ioaſh becauſe of Athalia, 2 King. 11. and Ioahaz becauſe of his brother Iehojakim, 2 King. 23.30.
Whether were the Kings and Prieſts anointed with the ſame Oyle or not? Queſt.
There were foure Kings anointed at the firſt with common Oyle, called the Oyle of Balſom; Anſw. but not with holy Oyle. Firſt,Foure Kings anointed both with cōmon oyle, and with the holy oyle. Saul was anointed with this common Oyle when Samuel firſt anointed him, this was done in Rama, where neither the Sanctuary nor holy Oyle were; ſecondly, he who was anointed with this common oyle was David by Samuel at Bethlehem; thirdly, Haſael and Iehu by one of the children of the Prophets, 2 King. 9.1. And the Iewes ſay, that thoſe who were anointed by the Prophets, were anointed with common Oyle; but thoſe who were anointed by the high Prieſt were anointed with holy Oyle.
But Saul when he was made King over Iſrael at Mizpeh, was anointed with the holy oyle by the high Prieſt, and David was anointed with the holy Oyle at Hebron and at Ieruſalem; when they were anointed before by the Prophets, it was but a preparation to this holy Oyle.
The Church of Rome holdeth that the King and the Prieſt were not anointed with the ſame Oyle,Becanus de jure regio. that they may advance the Pope aboue Princes: their reaſon is this;
None that had the holy Oyle upon his head might Object. lament for the dead. Levit. 21.10. But the King might lament for the dead; therefore he was not anointed with the ſame Oyle wherewith the high Prieſt was anointed: they proue that the King might lament for the dead, as David did for Abſolom, 2 Sam. 18.33. ſo for Abner, 2 Sam. 3.21.
Anſw. Although the King and the Prieſt were both anointed with the ſame oyle, yet the Prieſt is forbidden eſpecially to lament for the dead, becauſe he was a more vive type of Chriſt than the King was; and concerning Davids mourning after the Beere;Why the high Prieſt might not mourne for the dead. R: Iudah anſwereth, that David did this to purge himſelfe, that he was not guiltie of the bloud of Abner: and the Text ſaith, that the people and all Iſrael underſtood that day, Why David mourned for Abſolon and Abner.that it was not of the King to ſlay Abner the ſonne of Ner, 2 Sam. 3.27. The ceremony gaue place here to the neceſſitie, he mourned that he might take the ſuſpition out of the hearts of the people: and for his mourning for Abſolom, his paſſion miſcarried him.
Now the reaſons proving that they were both anointed with the ſame ſort of Oyle are theſe.
Reaſon 1 Firſt, the Oyle wherewith the Kings were anointed, is called the holy Oyle: with mine holy Oyle hauehave I anointed him, Pſal. 89.27.
Reaſon 2 Secondly, theſe are the two Oliue branches that ſtood before the Lord, Zach. 4.11. The Chaldie Paraphraſt paraphraſeth it thus; thoſe are Zerubbabel and Ioſhua, the Prince of the people, and the high Prieſt; becauſe they were both anointed with the ſame ſort of Oyle.
Object. But there was none of this ſort of Oyle in the ſecond Temple, therefore the high Prieſt in the ſecond Temple was not called Vnctus Iehovae, but vir multarum veſtium; he was diſtinguiſhed then from the reſt of the Prieſts by the ſeverall Ornaments which he wore, but not by his anointing.
Although there was no materiall oyle in the ſecond Temple, wherewith they anointed the King and Prieſt, Anſw. yet the ſpirituall anointing was figured here, by the compariſon taken from the anointing in the Temple. So Nehem. 7.65. there was neither Vrim nor Thummim in the ſecond Temple, yet by the forme in the firſt Temple he expreſſeth what Prieſts ſhall be in the ſecond Temple.
Thirdly, the King was in dignitie aboue the high Reaſon 3 Prieſt, but onelyonly when the Prieſt asked counſell at the Lord for him, the high Prieſt ſtood when the King ſate in the houſe of the Lord, 2 Sam. 7.18. Is it probable then that he was anointed with an inferiour ſort of oyle to that wherewith the Prieſt was anointed?
A compariſon betwixt Davids anointing and Chriſt,David thrice anointed, ſo was Chriſt. David was thrice anointed; firſt, in Bethlehem ſecretly by Samuel; ſecondly, at Hebron; and thirdly, at Ieruſalem: ſo Ieſus Chriſt was anointed in the wombe of the Virgin; ſecondly, this anointing manifeſted it ſelfe more when he taught at Nazaret, Luk. 4.13.14. ſee Act. 7.37.38. And this anointing was fully manifeſted in his reſurrection, Pſal. 4.5.
David was anointed a King, but he was not an anointed Prophet to attend upon that calling onelyonly, as Eſay and Ieremiah; but Chriſt was anointed both King and Prophet: Melchizedeck was a King and a Prieſt,None anointed King, Prieſt, and Prophet, but Ieſus Chriſt. but he was not a King, Prieſt, and Prophet, as Chriſt was. Samuel was a Prieſt and a Prophet; but he was not a King, Prieſt, and Prophet, as Chriſt was. There was never any anointed King, Prieſt, & Prophet, but Chriſt onelyonly, and we are made in him regale ſacerdotium, 1 Pet. 1.9. a royall Prieſthood.
It may be asked ſeeing all the children of God are called Meſichim, or Chriſts, Queſt. whether is this Chriſts proper name, or is it an appellatiue name?
Anſw. It is but his appellatiue name, and Ieſus is his proper name, but yet by way of excellencie, it is appropriate to Chriſt; all Chriſtians are Meſichim, but Chriſt is Hameſhiah, that anointed of the Lord, Luk. 2.26. He is not ſo much called the anointed in concreto, as the oyle in abſtracto, Chriſt called the oyle.Eſay 10. I will take away the yoke for the Oyles ſake, that is, for the anointeds ſake Ieſus Chriſt.
Concluſion. The Pope claimeth to be aboue Kings in his anointing, in ſtate, and worldly dignitie; therefore this ſheweth him to be that man of ſinne, who exalteth himſelfe aboue all that are called gods, 2 Theſſ. 2.4. that is, aboue all Princes and Kings.