Sentence:  The Mahometans do not agree among themselves about this <WSD>"imamate</WSD>", or dignity of the imam. Some think it of divine right, and attached to a single family, as the pontificate of Aaron. Others hold, that it is, indeed, of divine right, but deny it to be so attached to any single family, as that it may not be transferred to another. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  The office or jurisdiction of an imam.