tume. The high-priest, who, among other official duties, anointed the king, wore a mantle made of an entire leopard-skin ; as did the king when engaged in priestly duties. The under-dresses of priests, of all orders, were made of linen, and they were not allowed to wear woollen in a temple (Herod., ii. St). The undeniable similarity be tween the dresses of the Egyptian and Jewish priests will be hereafter illustrated. Besides their religious duties, the priests fulfilled the offices of judges, legislators, and counsellors of the king ; and the laws, forming part of their sacred books, could only be administered by members of that order (Wilkinson, i. 237, 257-282).
In returning to the Biblical history, we next find Jethro, priest of Midian, the father-in-law of Moses, possibly a priest of the true God (Exod. iii. 1), and probably his father in the same capacity 16). In Exod. v. I, 3, the whole nation of the Israelites is represented as wishing to sacrifice and to hold a feast to the Lord. The first step, though very remote, towards the formation of the Mosaic system of priesthood, was the consecration of the first-born, in memory of the destruction of the first-born of Egypt (xiii. 2, 14-16) ; for, instead of these, God afterwards took the Lcvites to attend upon him (Num. iii. 12). As to the popular idea, both among Jews and Christians, that the right of priesthood was thus transferred from the first-born generally to the tribe of Levi, or rather to one family of that tribe, we consider, with Patrick, that it is utterly groundless (Commentary on Exod. xix. 22; Num. iii. is; see Campeg. Vitringa, Observ. Sacra, ii. 33 ; Outram, De Saerificiis, i. 4). The substance of the objection is, that Aaron and his sons were consecrated before the exchange of the Levites for the first-born, that the Levites were afterwards given to minister unto them, but bad nothing to do with the priesthood, and that the peculiar right of God in the first-born originated in the Exodus. The last altar, before the giving of the law, was built by Moses, probably for a memorial purpose only (xvii. 15; comp. Josh. xxii. 26, 27). At this period the office of priest was so well understood, and so highly valued, that Jehovah promises, as an inducement to the Israelites to keep his covenant, that they should be to him a king dom of priests' (xix. 6), which, among other
honourable appellations and distinctions originally belonging to the Jews, is transferred to Christians (r Pet. ii. 9). The first introduction of the word priests, in this part of the history, is truly remark able. It occurs just previous to the giving of the law (a. c. 1491), when, as part of the cautions against the too eager curiosity of the people, lest they should break through unto the Lord and gaze' (Exod. xix. 2 it is added, and let the priests which come near unto the Lord sanctify themselves, lest the Lord break through upon them' (ver. 22). Here, then, priests are incontestably spoken of as an already existing order, which was now about to he remodified. Nor is this the last reference to these ante-Sinaitic priests. Selden observes that the phrases 'the priests the Levites' (Dent. xvii. 9), and 'the priests the sons of Levi' (xxi. 5), and even the phrase, the Levites alone' (xviii. 6, comp. I), are used to include all others who had been priests before God took the sons of Aaron peculiarly to serve him in this office (De Synedr. ii. 8, pp. 2, 3). Aaron is summoned at this juncture to go up with Moses unto the Lord on Mount Sinai (Exod. xix. 24). Another remark able circumstance is then recorded. Moses, now acting as mediator,' and endued with an extra ordinary commission, builds an altar under the hill, and sends 'young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt-offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the Lord' (xxiv. 5). Various interpretations are given to the phrase young men ;' but, upon a view of all the circumstances, we incline to think that they were young laymen, purposely selected by Moses for this act, in order to form a complete break between the former priest hood and the new, and that the recommencement and re-arrangement of the priesthood under divine authority might be made more palpably distinct. In the same light we consider the many priestly acts performed by Moses himself, at this particular time, as in ch. xxix. 25 ; xl. 25, 27, 29; like those of Gideon, Judg. vi. 25-27; of Samuel, I Sam. vii. 9; of David, I Chron. xxi. 26. Yet these especial permissions, upon emergencies and extra ordinary occasions, had their limits, as may be seen in the fate of the men of Bethshemesh,' I Sam. vi. 19 ; and of Uzzah, 2 Sam. vi. 7.