He himself descended to the " washing his disciples' feet,"* which he proposeth to their imitation; and that came, in later ages, to be taken up by princes, and acted by them in pageantry: but the plain account of that action is, that it was a prophetical emblem; of which sort we find several instances, both in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel; the prophet doing somewhat that had a mystical signification in it, relating to the subject of his prophecy: so that our Saviour's washing the feet of his disciples imported the humility, and the descending to the meanest offices of charity, which her ecommended to his followers, particularly to those whom he appointed to preach his Gospel to the world.

* John xiii, 5.

CHAPTER II.

OF THE RULES SET DOWN IN SCRIPTURE FOR THOSE THAT MINISTER IN HOLY THINGS; AND OF THE CORRUPTIONS THAT ARE SET FORTH IN THEM.

I INTEND to write with all possible simplicity, without the affectations of a strictness of method: and therefore I will give one full view of this whole matter, without any other order than as it lies in the Scriptures; and will lay both the rules and the reproofs that are in them together, as things that give light to one another. In the law of Moses* we find many very particular rules given for the washing and consecration of the priests and Levites, chiefly of the high priest. The whole tribe of Levi was sanctified, and separated from the common labours, either of war or tillage; and though they were but one in twelve, yet a tenth of all was appointed for them: they were also to have a large share of another tenth; that so they might be not only delivered from all cares by that large provision that was made for them, but might be able to relieve the necessities of the widows and fatherless, the poor and the strangers that sojourned among them, and by their bounty and charity, be possessed both of the love and esteem of the people. They were "holy to the Lord;" they were said to be sanctified or dedicated to God; * Levit. viii,

and the head of their order carried on his mitre this inscription, "Holiness to the Lord." The many washings that they were often to use, chiefly in doing their functions, carried this signification in them, that they were appropriated to God, and that they were under very strict obligations to a high degree of purity. They might not so much as mourn for their dead relations,* to show how far they ought to rise above all the concerns of flesh and blood, and even the most excusable passions of human nature. But, above all things, these rules taught them, with what exactness, decency and purity they ought to perform those offices that belonged to their functions; † and therefore when Aaron's two sons, Nadab and Abihu, transgressed the law that God had given, "fire came out from the Lord, and devoured them;"‡ and the reason given for it carries in it a perpetual rule: "I will be sanctified in all them that draw near to me, and before all the people I will be glorified:"§ which import, that such as minister in holy things ought to behave themselves so, that God's name may be glorified by their means; otherwise that God will glorify himself by his severe judgments on them: a signal instance of which we do also find in Eli's two sons, whose impieties and defilements, as they made the people to abhor the offering of the Lord, so they also drew down, not only heavy judgments on themselves, but on the whole house of Eli, and indeed on the whole nation.

But besides the attendance which the priests and Levites were bound to give at the temple, and on the public service there, they were likewise obliged to + Levit. xxii. 3, 4.

*Levit. xxi. 1. § Levit. x. 3.

|| 1 Sam. ii. iii.

Levit. x. 1.

.

study the law, to give the people warning out of it, to instruct them in it, and to conduct them, and watch over them and for this reason they had cities assigned them in all the corners of the land, that so they might both more easily observe the manners of the people, and that the people might more easily have recourse to them. Now when that nation became corrupted both by idolatry and immorality, God raised up prophets to be extraordinary monitors to them, to declare to them their sins, and to denounce those judgments which were coming upon them, because of them: we find the silence, the ignorance, and the corruption of their pastors, their shepherds, and their watchmen, is a main article of their charge; so Isaiah tells them, that their "watchmen were blind, ignorant, dumb dogs, that could not bark; sleeping, lying down, and loving to slumber:"* yet these careless watchmen were covetous and insatiable: "they were greedy dogs, which could never have enough; shepherds they were, that could not understand;" but how remiss soever they might be in God's work, they were careful enough of their own: "they all looked to their own way, every one to his own gain from his quarter." They were, no doubt, exact in levying their tithes and first-fruits, how little soever they might do for them, bating their bare attendance at the temple to officiate there: so guilty they were of that reigning abuse, of thinking they had done their duty, if they, either by themselves or by proxy, had performed their functions, without minding what was incumbent on them, as watchmen or shepherds. In opposition to such careless and corrupt guides, God

*Is. lvi. 10.

promises to his people, "to set watchmen over them that should never hold their peace day or night."

As the captivity drew nearer, we may easily conclude that the corruptions both of priest and people increased, which ripened them for the judgments of God, that were kept back by the reformations which Hezekiah and Josiah had made; but at last all were so depraved, that though God sent two prophets, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, to prepare them for that terrible calamity, yet this was only to save some few among them; for the sins of the nation were grown to that height, that though Moses and Samuel, Noah, Job, and Daniel,* had been then alive to intercede for them, yet God declared that he would not hear them, nor spare the nation for their sakes: so that even such mighty intercessors could only save their own souls. In this deplorable state we shall find that their priests and pastors had their large share. "The priests said not, Where is the Lord? They that handled the law knew me not, the pastors also transgressed against me;"† and their corruption went so far that they had not only false prophets to support them, but the people, who, how bad soever they may be themselves, do generally hate evil priests, grew to be pleased with it. "The prophets prophesy falsely; and the priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so: from the prophet even to the priest, every one dealt falsely." And upon that a woe is denounced against the pastors that destroyed and scattered the sheep of God's pasture.§ They by their office ought to have fed the people; but instead of that, they had scattered the flock, and driven them away, and had * Jer. xv. 1. Ezek. xiv. 14.

Jer. v. 31. vi. 13.

+ Jer. ii. 8.

§ Jer. xxiii. 2.