tunity either of making or reporting Oracles in fuch manner, that a fkilful Man had great Advantages, and might draw to himfelf and the Church the greatest Authority, if not the whole Power of the Nation by it? So fome Perfons would teach you to reason, with a Design you should conclude, that the whole Hebrew Conftitution was a Trick of

worldly Policy in Mofes, to invade the Liberties of the Hebrew Nation, to draw the Power and Riches of it into his own Family, and to share it among the Priesthood.

How wife, and fagacious, are fuch Conjectures as these? When, if the High-Priest had fuch Opportunities by his Office of confulting the Oracle, as are fuggefted, would it not have greatly affected the Power and Authority of the Judge, that is, of Moses and his own Office, and have barred his own Pofterity for ever from any fhare in it: For his own Posterity could not rife fo much as to the Honour of a Prieft, much less to the Dignity and Authority of an High-Priest, whatever that might be. And would not Mofes have been an admirable Politician indeed, if he had any Views of the Greatness of his own Family, by one Conftitution to throw the Riches and Authority of the Nation into the Hands of the Priesthood, and by another Conftitution to bar his own Pofterity of the Priesthood, and thereby of all Share in the Riches or Power belonging to

it ?

But, to leave thefe Reflections, let it be confider'd how this Oracle was given, what Concern the High Priest had in it, and it will be fufficient to fhew how groundless fuch Objections are, and with what Wisdom the Oracle was made fo important a Part of the National Conftitution.

18. 19.

To understand aright how the Oracle was The Oracle given, it will be neceffary to obferve, it was given in different given in two very different Manners; in one manners: of which it is proper you should obferve, the One with High-Priest could have no Share at all. This confulted was by a Voice from the Glory or Schechinahby the Highdirectly and immediately, without being con- Prieft. fulted at all; it was the Schechinab gave the Law on Mount Sinai, And God fpake all these Ex. xx. 1. Words, faying. But then the Oracle was given in fuch awful Manner, as greatly affrighted the People; Aud all the People faw the Thunderings and the Lightnings, and the Noife of the Trumpet, and the Mountain Smoaking; and when they faw it, they removed, and flood afar off; and they faid unto Mofes, speak thou with us, and we will hear; but let not God Speak with us, left we die. In this Cafe the Oracle was heard by the whole Hebrew Nation, and its Voice was attended with that awful Solemnity as filenced ali Sufpicion of Priestcraft, and gave fuch Credit and Authority to Mofes, that it was the unanimous Defire and Request of the whole People, that they might receive the other Laws to be given

0 3

by

How the

High

Prieft con

by the Oracle from Mofes, who was to receive the Commands of God from the Oracle, and publish them to the People.

It was at this Time, and in this Manner, the Oracle enacted all the Laws of the Hebrew Government, at a time when the whole Hebrew Nation had fo many, fo plain, fo great Inftances of the Prefence of Jehovah with them, and of the Authority of Mofes to publish the Will of God to them, that they could have no reasonable Doubt or Sufpicion concerning their Laws, or whether they were really given by his Oracle.

It has been obferved, that these Laws were the whole Conftitution of the Hebrew Government; that they were fo facred that neither were any of them to be repealed, nor were any new Laws to be added to them.

Thus Jehovah, as Law-giver, gave his Law, by his Oracle, in fuch Manner as the HighPrieft had no Concern in it at all; and therefore, most certainly, could make no Advantage of it.

And hence too it is obfervable, that when the High Priest did confult the Oracle, he had no Opportunity of making any new Law, or of repealing any Law already made; for the Oracle itself had previoufly forbad it, by a fundamental Law of the Constitution.

What was it then that the Law intended by directing the High-Prieft to confult the fulted the Oracle, or to afk Counsel by Urim before Oracle,

the

the Lord? which was the fecond Manner in which the Oracle was given. Let the Direction itself inform us.

Numbers

When Joshua was appointed Succeffor to Mofes, it is directed, And he shall and before 21. Eleazar the Priest, who shall afk Counsel for him after the Judgment of Urim before the Lord; at his Word fhall they go out, and at bis Word fhall they come in, both he, and all the Children of Ifrael with him, even all the Congregation. It is not material to our Enquiry, what the Urim and Thummim were. It is fufficient to know they were something in the Breaft-plate of Judgment, a Part of the rich Garments of the High-Prieft. So the Law, And thou shalt put in the Breaft-Ex.xxvii, plate of Judgment the Urim and the Thummim, 30. and they shall be upon Aaron's Heart when be goeth in before the Lord. The HighPriest was to wear the Urim, in the Breastplate; but as a learned Author * observes, "the Judge commands him to put it on, "the Judge afks Counfel, not the High"Prieft;" (he means not of his own Motion, and for himself, but at Direction of the Judge, and in his Name)" nor does the "High-Priest answer. He answers by the Urim,

*

04

Jubet Imperator apponere, confulit Imperator, non confulit Pontifex; nec refpondet Pontifex, refpondet per fulgorem Urim, vel quod rectius Deus ipfe per Urim. Houtuyn Monarchia Hebræor. p. 53.

Urim, or more properly God himself an"fwers by the Urim."

The Direction of the Law itself, that Joshua fhould ftand before Eleazar the Priest, who thall afk Counsel for him after the Judgment of Urim before the Lord, feems very plainly to intimate, that the Judge, and in like nanner, whoever it was for whom the HighPrieft afked Counfel by Urim, was present with the High-Prieft when he confulted the Oracle: for the Perfon for whom the HighPrieft confulted was to ftand before the HighPrieft, as the High-Prieft was to stand before the Lord; that is, as the Hebrew Expreffion to ftand before the Lord fignifies, they were both of them in Prefence of the Oracle. So that the Account which the Talmudifts give of the Manner of confulting the Oracle, feems agreeable to the Truth of History, and in this Inftance to be taken from it: "That "the High-Priest stood with his Face towards "the Ark, the Perfon who confulted the

Oracle ftood at his Back, and faid, Shall I "do this Thing, or fhall I not do it *?” And Jofephus obferves from this Circumstance, That as it was lawful for any Person who thought fit to be prefent when the Oracle "was confulted, that was fufficient to remove all Sufpicion of Impofture from the Minds of all those who confulted it, and to

Modus hoc Oraculum confulendi hic erat, Pontifex Arcam verfus faciem inflexit. Ille qui Oraculum confuluit ei a tergo ftetit, dixitque, faciam hoc aut non faciam ? Otho Lexicon Rabbinicum Voc. Urim.