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When the people were still at
Sinai, after the tabernacle was set up, God spoke again to Moses, and gave
him many commands about His worship and service. God commanded that
Aaron and his sons should be His priests or ministers. They were
brought into the tabernacle, and there consecrated for the holy
work. So now, ministers of the Gospel are ordained and set apart,
before they begin to teach and preach to the people. It is a holy
office, and ministers ought to think much about it, and to pray to God for
His help and blessing; and the people ought to pray, too, that God would
give holy wisdom and power to His ministers, and make them faithful
teachers of His word. All the Israelites stood at the door of the
court of the tabernacle; and Moses brought Aaron and his sons to the great
laver, and there washed them with water. The water in the laver had
power only to wash their bodies; but it was a type of the blood which
cleanseth from sin, and of the Spirit which sanctifies, or makes
holy. Ministers should be washed in the blood of Christ, and have
their hearts made clean by the Holy Spirit. Then
Moses put upon Aaron the holy garments which God commanded to be made; the
coat, the girdle, the robe, the ephod, the breastplate, and the
mitre. The coat was a long linen robe, with sleeves, and with a
girdle worked in blue and purple, and scarlet. The robe was a long,
blue linen gown, without sleeves; round the bottom were golden bells, and
figures of pomegranates; the bells sounded when the High Priest went into
the Holy Place. The ephod was a short robe, worked in blue, and
purple, and scarlet and gold; it was made of linen, and round it was worn
a beautiful girdle worked like the ephod. The breastplate was made
of cloth and was very thick. It had four rings of gold to join it to
the ephod; twelve beautiful stones were set in the breastplate, three in a
row; there were four rows of stones, and every stone had the name of one
of the tribes of Israel written or cut upon it. The tribes of Israel
were the descendants of the twelve sons of Jacob. These stones in
the breastplate were called Urim and Thummim, that is, very light, perfect
and beautiful things. Aaron wore the breastplate upon his heart when
he went into the Holy Place, because he was to remember the people there,
and pray for them to the Lord. The
mitre was a linen turban, and in the front of it was a plate of gold, on
which was written, "Holiness to the Lord;" because the priests,
the ministers of the Lord, must be holy in all they do and say, wherever
they are. Aaron's sons did not wear all the beautiful robes which
their father wore. Only the High Priest had the ephod, and
breastplate, and robe, and mitre. But Moses put upon the other
priests the coat, and the girdle, and the bonnet or turban. All
these holy and beautiful garments were put upon Aaron and his sons, to
teach them how holy they ought to be, if they were honored to be priests
and ministers of the Lord. All God's ministers, and all God's
people, must be so too; they must have on Christ's righteousness, and be
renewed and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, or they cannot enter into
Heaven.
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