the law of God, diftinctly, and gave the fenfe, and caused them to understand the reading. Upon which account, the Lord claimed a peculiar propriety in them, Numb. viii. 14. And thou shalt Separate the Levites from among the children of Ifrael, and the Levites fhall be mine; of their office the Hebrews thus write, "The feed of Levi are all of them feparated for the fervice of "the fanctuary, and it is commanded that the Levites be ready "for the fervice of the fanctuary, whether willing or unwill"ing, (as in Numb. xviii. 23.) and the Levite he fhall ferve "the fervice of the congregation, and the fon of Levi, which "will take upon him all the Levites commandments, fave one "thing, they receive him not in, till he take all upon him." Likewife it is further obferved, "That the Levites are to be "warned that they do not one another's work, as that the "Singer help not to do the Porter's work, or the Porter the "Singer's; as it is written, Every man to his fervice, "and to his burthen; the Levite, who doth the Prieft's "fervice, or the Levites who employ themfelves in work, not "their own, are in danger of death by the hand of God." Rabbi Menachem faith, by thefe admonitions was fignified "how the Priests should not intermeddle with the fervice of "the Levites, nor the Levites with the fervice of the Priests." The difference between a Levite and a Prieft in their office, was, the Priests ferved at the altar of incenfe and burnt offer ing, and the fervices within the vail;--the Levites ferved in the outward court, helped to kill the facrifices, brought the blood unto the Prieft, which he fprinkled, and ufed as the LORD commanded Mofes. They were to inftruct the people in the law, Numb. viii. 9. to ftand before the congregation to minifter unto them. Thus the Priefts and the Levites, from their office, are faid to have the charge of the sanctuary, Numb. xviii. 5. and ye shall keep the charge of the fanctuary, and the charge of the altar, which office, both of Priefts and Levites, continued in the temple, where fome were Porters, Keepers of the gate, and lodged round about the houfe of God; fome had the charge of the miniftering veffels; fome of the fine four, the wine, the oil, and the frankincenfe; fome of the fpices and of the fhew-bread; fome were Singers employed in that work day and night. Perhaps the account the Hebrew doctors give of the diftinct office of the Priefts and Levites, in watching the temple, may not be irkfome to my Friendly's ear, as there is fomething of folemnity, humour, and gravity therein.

Friendly. No, my dear Truth, it will be rather engaging

than offenfive.

Truth. The Hebrew doctors thus record it, "The keeping "of the fanctuary is a thing commanded, yea, though there "be no fear of enemies, or of thieves, for the keeping thereof "is for the honour thereof, and this keeping is commanded to "be all the night; and the keepers are the Priests and the "Levites, as it is faid, thou and thy fons with thee, fhall be "before the tent of the testimony, (Numb. viii. 12.) as if he "fhould fay, you fhall be the keepers (or watchmen.) More"over it is faid of the Levites, and they fhall keep the charge "of the tent, Numb, xviii. 4. It is alfo faid, and they that 66 encamp before the tabernacle, foremost before the tent of the "congregation eaft ward, fhall be Mofes, Aaron, and his fons, "keeping the charge of the holy place, (Numb. iii. 38.) And "if they leave off the keeping of it, they tranfgrefs against a << prohibition: The commandment of keeping it, is, that the "Priefts be Keepers in the inner place, and the Levites in "the outer. Twenty-four companies keep it every night "continually, in twenty-four places; the Priefts in three "places, the Levites in twenty-one places. The Priests that "" warded, flept not in their priestly garments, but folded them up, and laid them at their heads, and put on their own gar << ments, and flept on the ground, as is the manner of all that "ward King's courts, that they fleep not on beds; and they "fet one Provoft (or Governor) over all the wards, (or cul"todies) of the Keepers, and he was called the man of the "mountain of the houfe of GOD; and he went round about to <6 every ward all the night, with torches burning before him, "and every Keeper that did not ftand and fay, Thou man cf "the mountain of the houfe, peace be unto thee, it was known "that he was afleep, and he did beat him with a staff, and he "had authority to burn his garment; fo that (fometimes) they "faid in Jerufalem, what noife is there in the court? It is the

cry of a Levite that is beaten, and his garments burnt, be"cause he slept at his watch. In the morning, the Provost of "the fanctuary came, and knocked at the gate, for the Priests "that were in the place of burning the holy things, they "opened unto him; he took a key, and opened the little gate "that was between the place of burning and the court yard, "and went from the burning place into the court yard, and the "Priefts went in after him, and the two torches of fire were "in their hands, and they divided themfelves into two com"panies; one company went eaftward, and the other weft

"ward, and they fearched, and went through all the court "yard, till both companies came to the place where they made "the Priest's meat-offering, spoken of in Lev. vi. 20, 21. "when both fides came thither, they faid, peace, all is peace, "and they fet thofe that made the meat-offering to make the "fame. After this order did they every night, fave the nights "of the Sabbath, for then they had not torches in their hands, "but fearched with the lamps that were lighted there on the "evening of the Sabbath."

Now as the Levites were a feparated people, dedicated to the LORD to minifter in the fanctuary, they might be typical of the peculiar feparation of the minifters of the gofpel, Acts X2, The Holy Ghost said, feparate me Barnabas and Saul, for the work whereunto I have called them. Their being dedicated to the LORD in a wave-offering, moved or fifted to and fro, which fignified trouble or afflictions, Luke xxii. 31. may denote their being dedicated to the LORD, in all their trials and forrows, as the Captain of our falvation, their head and chief, was made perfect, through fufferings; or according to the Greek, confecrated through fufferings. The trials, forrows and troubles, of the minifters of the gospel, through their zeal for GOD, and love to fouls, are I believe, in the difpenfation of Providence, as great, if not greater, than those of the children of GOD in general, yet faith the Apoftle, the view of them fills me with a kind of rapture: O! tranfporting zeal, and amazing love to fouls! which animate their minds to wade through fuch a fea of forrow, and inventory of afflictions, for their knowledge of falvation! Surely if they were not confecrated to the LORD through trials, the Apoftle could never ky, "But in all things commending ourselves as the Ministers "of GOD, in much patience, in afflictions, in neceffities, in "diftreffes, in ftripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, (in the "Greek, in toffing to and fro, anfwerable to the wave-offer"ing) in labour, in watching, in faftings, by pureness, by knowledge, by love unfeigned, by kindness, by the HOLY "GROST, by the word of truth, by the power of GOD, by the armour of righteousness, on the right hand and on the left, "by honour, and difhonour, by evil report, and good report; "as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well "known; as dying, and behold we live; as chaftened, and "not killed; as forrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet "making many rich; as having nothing, yet poffeffing all things; 2 Cor. vi. 4, &c." This is fuch a beautiful il

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luftration of the Apoftle's love to fouls; it ftrikes with fuch force, elegancy, and demonstration, that it at once proves, that the love and life, the heart and labour of a true Minifter, is confecrated to the LORD, through trials, for the good of

the church.

Third, The Levites were engaged to open the law, (the ceremonial law, which was a fhadow of good things to come) to give the fenfe and meaning thereof, Neh. viii. 8. therefore the LORD calls them the Minifters of his houfe, Ezek. xlv. 5. which might be typical of the Apoftles and Minifters of the go pel, whofe office and employment are to unfold the myfteries of the kingdom, the glad tidings of falvation, faying to Zion, Behold thy God reigneth; declaring no other things, than what Mofes and the Prophets did fay fhould come, whereof (faith the Apoítle) I was made a Minifter, according to the gift of the grace of GoD, given unto me, by the effectual working of his power; unto me, who am the least of all Saints, is this grace given, that I fhould preach among the Gentiles the unfearchable riches of CHRIST. To make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in GoD, who created all things by JESUS

CHRIST.

Friendly. Did not the LORD provide, in a peculiar manner, for the fupport of the Levites?

Truth. Yes, Numb. xvii. 21. And behold (faith GoD) ! have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Ifrael, for their Service which they fhall ferve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. They had likewife part of the facrifices and offerings, that were offered unto the LORD; alfo corn, wine, and oil, the first and best fruits of the land; they were exempted from taxes, had large contributions made to them at their three folemn feasts, Deut. xvi. 16, 17. They had cities appointed for them, Numb. xxxv. 8. Every one shall give of his cities unto the Levites, according to his inheritance which he inheriteth, v. 7. So all the cities which ye shall give to the Levites, fhall be forty and eight cities, with their fuburbs. So their cities, their part of the facrifices, their tenths or tithes of all the fruits of the land, and their contributions, amounted to a very large and ample maintenance. Some have observed, that though the Levites were not equal in number to the one and fortieth part of the people, yet their revenue and yearly income was above four times as much as fell to the lot of the richest tribe in all the land of Canaan.

Friendly. But is it not faid, that the Levites thall have no

lot or inheritance in Ifrael, as in Deut. xviii. 1, 2. The Priests, the Levites, and all the tribes of Levi, fhall have no part nor inberitance with Ifrael; they shall eat the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and his inheritance. Therefore they fhall have no inheritance among their brethren; the Lord is their inheritance, as he bath faid unto them; yet they had forty-eight cities appointed for them with their fuburbs, Numb. xxxv. 7. How is this reconciled?

Truth. I answer, The tribe of Levi having no part nor inheritance in the land among their brethren, I apprehend was fpoken (for fo the Jews understood it) of their having no part nor lot of the inheritance or treafures of the land gained by war; for the tribe of Levi was not appointed for war, battles, and conquefts, but to the fervice of the fanctuary, a fpiritual warfare in the LORD's houfe, Numb. iv. 23. from which the Apostle obferves, 2 Tim. ii. 4. No man that warreth entangleth binfelf with the affairs of this life. Now the opulency gained from the conqueft of fo many Kings, countries, cities, and fuburbs, was very great to Ifrael, as appears when Joshua bleffed them, when the LORD had given them the land of Canaan, which he promised to their Fathers, Joshua xxii. 8. And he spake unto them, faying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with filver, and with gold, and with brafs, and with iron, and with very much raiment; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brethren. But of this inheritance the tribe of Levi had no part, as the Hebrew Doctors fay, "all the tribe of Levi are warned that they take no part of the fpoil, when they conquer a city; and a fon of "Levi that taketh part of the fpoil, is to be beaten." Ainsworth thinks, that their inheritance was not of land, but only cities to dwell in; which feems likely, therefore may be faid to have no inberitance in Ifrael, the land fell to Ifrael by lot, but to them by gift from their brethren, of which the Hebrews thus fpeak, Wherefore was not Levi counted meet to have an inheritance in the land of Ifrael, or spoil among "their brethren? Because he was feparated to ferve the LORD, "and to inherit him; and to teach his ftraight ways, and his juft judgments unto many, (Deut. xxxiii. Io.) therefore was "he feparated from the ways of the world. They wage not war as the rest of Ifrael, neither do they inherit or earn for themselves, with the ftrength of their bodies, but they are "the LORD's power (or fubftance) as it is written, (Deut. "xxxiii. 11.) Blefs, LORD, his power, and the bleffed Gon

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