hand went a fiery law for them. Yea, he loved the people; all his faints are in thy band; and they fat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words. Mofes commanded us a law: even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob. And he was king in Jeshurun, when the beads of the people and the tribes of Ifrael were gathered together. And then he proceeds particularly to bless the tribes, beginning with Reuben, ver. 6. who was Jacob's first-born; but had forfeited his birthright by his fin. Judak, in ver. 7. is bleffed next, who, though the fourth fon, is bleffed in the second place, because to his tribe belonged the kingdom, and from thence was the Meffiah to arife, one of whofe characters is, the lion of the tribe of Judah; and, perhaps, all that is faid in this blessing may very well be applied to him. In the next place comes Levi, in the words I have read, Simeon his brother in iniquity, being wholly omitted; And of Levi he faid, Let thy Thummim and thy Urim be with thy holy One, whom thou didst prove at Maffah, and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah. Which words I intend, by divine affistance, to open and explain. But I muft intreat your patience a little, whilst I remove the difficulties of the text; which I fhall endeavour to do,

First, By giving fome account of the Urim and Thummim.

Secondly, By fhewing who the perfon is whom Mofes intends, and points at, in these words, to whom the Urim and Thummim belong.

First, I fhall endeavour to give fome account of the Urim and Thummim. The first mention that is made of them, is in Exodus xxviii. 30. And thou shalt put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart, when he goeth in before the Lord; and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Ifrael upon his heart before the Lord continually. The words Urim and Thummim are by the Septuagint rendered manifeftation and truth; though they may be much better tranflated lights and perfections; as they are by Aquila", in Lev. viii. 8. and are frequently applied, by divines, to that light of knowledge and integrity of life, which are requifite characters in every minister of Christ; but what these Urim and Thummim were, is not fo eafy a thing to determine: Some of the Jewish Rabbies have ingenuously confeffed, that they knew not what they were, and fome of our Christian interpreters have thought it safest to leave them as things unknown, and not conclude any thing certainly about them; though the fcripture feems to fpeak of them as things well known; and an inquiry into them is no where forbidden; therefore we fhall attempt it at this time.

1 Τὴν δήλωσιν καὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν.

с

D. ONTION'S TERhetores, agreeable to the Hebrew,. OʻTIN,

a Rad. 1, lucidum effe, illuminari lucere. л, a Rad. Dan, abfolvi, compleri, perfici. • R. David Kimchi, in lib. Shorafh. R. Abraham Seba in Tzeror Hammor. R. Aben. Ezra in Exod. xxviii. 5. & Miclol Yophi in ver. 30.

Jun. Diodat. &c.

е

There has been a variety of opinions concerning them, which particularly to enumerate, and enter into the confideration of, would be both tedious, and to little purpose, one thinks that these two words, Urim and Thummim, were engraven on a stone, or a plate of gold, and put into the breast-plate, even as those words, Holiness to the Lord, were engraven on a plate of gold, and fastened, by a blue lace, to the forefront of Aaron's mitre. Another is of opinion, that they were two famous and remarkable characters in the breaft-plate, which suited with those names: Others have fuppofed, that this was the writing of Shembamphorah, that is, the name Jehovah (which the Jews fay is unlawful to be pronounced but by the high priest when he entered into the holy of holies) which name, either by itself, or with other divine names, explanative of it, were pur into, or engraven on the breaft plate; and this way go moft of the Jewish doctors. Others have imagined, that they were little images, which the high priest carried about with him in the folds of the breastplate, and as often as he inquired concerning any thing, God, or an angel in the name of God, did, by these, answer very clearly and diftinctly, what was to be done, or not to be done; and that, because of the perfpicuity and certain completion of the anfwers, the one was called Urim, and the other Thummim; and that, whilst the priest was inquiring, thefe images gliftered and appeared very bright, to fix the people's attention, and raise their admiration: they also imagine, that these images are the fame with the Teraphim made mention of in many places of fcripture with the Ephod, but never in a good fenfe; for they were idols which the Jews, who were a people prone to idolatry, had learned to worship of the nations; and they seem to be houfhold gods, fuch as the Lares or Penates among the Romans; wherefore it cannot be supposed that these were the Urim and Thummim which were put into the breaftplate, because it would have been directly contrary to the fecond commandment. Others have been of opinion, that these were a work purely divine, not made by Bezaleel, or any other artificer, but by God himself, as the two tables of stone were, on which the law was engraven and that God gave these to Mofes, and he put them into the breastplate; though of what form and matter they were, they will no more pretend to tell, than they would of what ftone the two tables were made.

But the opinion, which at prefent I am most inclined to come into, is, that the Urim and Thummim were no other than the twelve ftones in the breastplate, on which were engraven the names of the twelve tribes of Ifrael, and that these were called Urim, because they were clear, lucid, and transparent; and Thummim,

Cornel. à Lapide in Rivet, in Exod. xxviii. 30.

f Calvin, in Exod. xxviii. 4.

& Targum. Jon. Zoar, Baal. Hatturim, R. Sol. Jarchi, in Exod. xxviii. 30. David. de Pomis, Lexic. Heb. fol. 223. 1.

Christoph. de Caftro, in Rivet, in Exod. xxviii. 30. 1 R. Menachem in Ainsworth, on Exod. xxviii. 30.

Spencer de Urim & Thummim.
Arias Montanus, Willet, &c.

mim, because they were perfect and complete, had no blemish or defect in them: what induces me to embrace and prefer this opinion to all others, is, because in Exod. xxxix. where there is a particular account given of all the priest's veftments, and more especially of the breastplate, and the things appertaining thereunto, there is mention made of the twelve ftones, but no notice taken of the Urim and Thummim; now, if the Urim and Thummim had been any thing different from the ftones, Mofes would not have omitted the mention of them, feeing he takes notice of things more minute than these and as also, in Lev. viii. 8. where is given the like account, mention is made of the Urim and Thummin, and no notice taken of the ftones, which is a further confirmation of this opinion. Likewife, I find some of the most learned of the Jewish writers are of the same opinion, particularly Jofephus', whose testimony must go a great way in this matter, seeing he lived while the second temple ftood, was by fect a Pharifee, by profeffion a priest, and of the blood royal; and therefore, no doubt, had all the opportunities and advantages of informing himself in these affairs.

Having thus confidered what they were, let us now obferve what was the use of them, which I apprehend to be twofold.

I. The names of the twelve tribes of Ifrael being engraven on them, they were borne on Aaron's heart, when he went into the holy place on the day of atonement, for a memorial before the Lord, fo that what Aaron then did, more efpecially, he did, not in his own name, but in the name of the whole congregation of Ifrael; he acted as their representative, when he flew the facrifice, and carried the blood within the vail, for it was not only for himself, but for all the people.

n

II. By these, the high priest confulted God for the people, in matters of moment; thus we read in Numbers TM, And he (that is, Joshua) shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall afk counsel for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord; at his word shall they go out, and at his word all they come in, both he and all the children of Ifrael with him, even all the congregation. Confultation by Urim and Thummim was made by the priest only, but not without having on the Ephod, and generally before the ark of the covenant; not for private persons and for private affairs, or for things trivial, but for public perfons, and in matters of moment. And so we read in the Mifnah°, They inquire by Urim and Thummim, but they do not inquire by these for a private person, but for a king, and for the boufe of judgment, and for him whom the congregation hath need of.

This

* R. Moses bar Maimon, R. Afarias in Meor. Enayim, c. 50. R. Menafieh Ben Israel Conciliat. in Gen. qu. 41. Antiq. 1. 3. c, 8, Chap. xxvii. 21. The manner of afking counsel of God by Urim and Thummim, according to Maimonides, may be feen in Ainsworth, on Exod. xxviii. 30. & in Cunæus de Rep. Heb. 1. 2. c. 2. • Maffech. Yoma, 7. 5.

This was certainly a very great favour, which God indulged this people with, that they could thus have recourse unto him on emergent occafions; and it was an evidence of God's difpleasure to Saul, when he would not anfwer him either by dreams, or by Urim, or by Prophets: How long thofe things continued in ufe, is not fo well known. The Talmudifts fay ", That king Jofiah hid the Urim and Thummim under ground in a cave, before prepared by Solomon, together with the anointing oil, the ark of the covenant, Aaron's rod, and the pot of Manna, and that these things could not be found when they returned from Babylon; therefore they tell us that these five things were wanting in the fecond Temple, namely, 1. The ark with the mercy-feat, and cherubims. 2. The fire from heaven which burnt up the facrifice. 3. The Shechinah, or the divine prefence. 4. The holy Ghoft, or Spirit of prophecy. 5. The Urim and Thummim. And in the Mifnab they fay, "After the death of the former prophets the Urim and Thummim ceased." Maimonides indeed fays, that the Urim and Thummim were made in the fecond temple, though not used; his words are these, "They made in the second temple Urim and Thummim, "to the end, they might make up all the eight ornaments, although they did "not inquire by them: and wherefore did they not inquire by them? because "the holy Ghost was not there." Jofephus fays, that the fhining of these ftones had ceafed two hundred years before he wrote his Antiquities; and it is manifeft from fcripture, that the Jews were without them when they returned from Babylon, as appears from Ezra", And the Tirfhatha, that is, Nehemiah, faid unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there food up a prieft with Urim and with Thummim. This shows the deficiency and imperfection of the Levitical priesthood, and what need there was of another priest to arise with the true Urim and Thummim, not after Aaron's order, but after the order of Melchizedek.

66

But now let us confider a little, in what way and manner God was pleased to return anfwers by Urim and Thummim.

The Jews generally fay, it was by the extraordinary brightness and protuberance of fome of the letters upon the ftones ", which fwelling, and appearing higher and brighter than others, either all together, or one after another, the priest could read the anfwer which should be returned: but there not being a complete alphabet in the names of the twelve tribes, they added the names of the patriarchs Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob; and this not being fufficient, they added these words, Col Elle Shibte Ifrael, "All these are the tribes of Ifrael." Here being now a complete

P Vid. Cunæus de Rep. Heb. 1. 1. c. 14.

• Talmud Yoma, c. 1. And out of that R Mafsech. Sotah. 9. 12. Chap. ii. 63.

Sol. Jarchi, R. David Kimchi & Miclol Yophi in Hag. i. 8. • In Ainsworth on Exod. xxviii. 30.

Antiq. 1. 3. c. 9.

Zohar in Exod. (Edit. Sultzbac) fol. 92. 9. & 93. 1.

complete alphabet, they suppose an answer might be returned this way upon any affair that was confulted about.

Others, that the priests knew the mind and will of God, by the brightness or dulness of the ftones; that if the ftones were bright, the answer was in the affirmative; if dull, in the negative; and so they returned the answer to the people. Others have been of opinion, that the priest, when he went and asked counfel of God, having on the breastplate, and the Urim and Thummim in it, God was pleased to enlighten his understanding, and fix in his mind a firm persuasion of the truth of the answer intended, and accordingly he returned it.

But I am most inclined to think, that God gave the answer by a diftinct and articulate voice; my reasons for it are, because in Numbers, when the priest asked counsel of God, it is said, at his word, or at his mouth, that is, of the Lord, Shall they go out, and at his word, or mouth, Shall they come in"; and in all the instances we have of inquiry being made by Urim and Thummim, the answers, as they appear to me, were given this way: Thus, after Joshua's death, when the people of Ifrael inquired of the Lord, faying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites? The Lord said, Judah fhall go up. And when David ordered Abiathar the priest to bring the Ephod to him, and he inquired of the Lord, faying, Will Saul come down? And the Lord faid, He will come down: Then faid David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord faid, They will deliver thee up".

Thus I have endeavoured to give you fome account of the Urim and Thummim, which I suppose to be the twelve ftones in the breastplate, on which were engraven the names of the twelve tribes of Ifrael; one principal ufe whereof, was, by them to afk counsel of God in matters of moment; and the answer was given to the priest, by a distinct and articulate voice, he having on the breastplate at that time, with thefe ftones in it.

Secondly, I fhall now proceed to show, who the perfon is, whom Mofes intends, and points at, in these words, to whom the Urim and Thummim belong. And here are two things spoken of him, which may be a direction to us in finding out the perfon intended. ft, He was God's holy One. 2dly, He was proved at Maffab, and ftrove with at the waters of Meribab.

ift, Both these are true of Aaron; he was an holy man, had the principles of grace and holiness wrought in his foul, and lived an holy life and conversation, and therefore he is called the faint of the Lord; They envied Mofes also in the camp, and Aaron the faint of the Lord. He was alfo proved at Massah, and strove with at the waters of Meribah; which may be referred either to God, or to the Ifraelites proving him: God proved him at Maffah, or tempted him in, or with a temptation,

x Rivet in Exod. xxviii. 30.

1 Sam. xxiii, 11, 12.