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doctors, as quoted by Altensfaig in his Lexicon Theologicum. "Capitur clericus pro viro docto, scientifico, perito, scientia pleno, repleto et experto. E contra laicus capitur pro viro indocto, imperito, insipiente et lapideo. Unde laicus dicetur a Aaas Græce, quod est lapis Latine. Et sic omnis clericus, in quantum clericus, est laudabilis; laicus vero, in quantum laicus, est vituperandus. Clerici quoque a toto genere de jure præponuntur, et debent præponi laicis." To these I shall add the sentiments of Cardinal Bona, in relation to the care that ought to be taken by the clergy, that laymen may not be allowed to do themselves harm by studying the profounder parts of scripture, which their stupidity is utterly incapable of comprehending. He kindly mentions, at the same time, the books which he thinks they will not be the worse for, and which, therefore, they may be permitted to peruse: "De laicis in quibus mater cæcitatis superbia regnat, quatenus ad ea quæ sunt fidei et morem. Cum enim sicut idiotæ presumunt sacram scripturam exponere, quæ est profundissima omnium scripturarum. Cum iterum habeant quandam honestatem exteriorem, contemnunt vitam omnium aliorum, et merito hujus duplicis superbiæ excæcantur, ut incidant in errorem istum pessimum, per quem excæcantur a Deo, ut nesciant discernere quid bonum est et quid malum. Quare non omnes scripturæ libros legant laici. Quoniam nihil est tam sanctum et salubre et pium quo non contingat abuti, sic de libris evenit, quorum non est culpa, neque scribentium, sed scœlus est in abusu: non tamen arcendi videntur ab opusculis moralibus et devotis, nullam in se difficultatem, nec ambiguitatem, nec absurditatem in translatione gerentibus, cujusmodi sunt historiæ, vel vitæ, vel legendæ sanctorum, nec non meditationes sanctæ."-How condescending is the good Doctor! He does not absolutely prohibit the stupid and conceited generation of laymen from reading some of the plainer books of scripture, and indulges them freely in what is better for them, story books, and godly meditations, and the legends of the saints.

I shall have occasion afterwards to trace a little further the most material changes, to which those above-mentioned, as well as other novel names and distinctions, were rendered subservient.

LECTURE X.

I HAVE met with the observation, though I do not at present recollect where, that the world is ruled by names. It matters not who said so: but experience shows us, that there is more truth in the remark, than any one, at first hearing, would be apt to imagine. When names are first assigned to offices, or even to orders of men, there is commonly an association of ideas favourable or unfavourable, in some respect or other, which is derived from the more ancient to the more recent application of the term. And even if the term should be coined for the occasion, the materials whence it is taken, that is, the known etymology, produces the same effect. It invariably gives rise to certain associations: these influence opinion, and opinion governs practice. We have seen the tendency which the distinction of mankind into clergy and laity had to heighten in the minds of the populace, that is, more than nine-tenths of the people, the reverence for the sacred order. The effect thus actually produced, in ignorant ages, through the arrogance of the one side and the superstition of the other, is sufficiently manifest, and perfectly astonishing. -I shall proceed to take notice of the consequences of some other innovations in the style adopted on these subjects.

A close resemblance, both in titles and functions, to the Jewish priesthood, came soon to be very much affected by the pastors of the church. The very names of high-priest, priest, and levite, which the inspired writers had never once applied to any class of ministers, ordinary or extraordinary, in the Christian commonwealth, appeared to have a wonderful fascination in them, that rendered them incomparably superior to any appellations which Jesus Christ, or his apostles, had thought fit to bestow. Beside the fancied dignity, the sacerdotal titles had been always understood to convey the notion of certain rights, which conduced both to the honour and to the emolument of those to whom these titles belonged. Now, having availed themselves of the supposed analogy, they thought they had the best right in the world to

extend their claims much farther; arguing, that because the bishops, presbyters, and deacons, were the high-priests, priests, and levites, of a superior, a more heavenly and spiritual dispensation, they ought to possess more of the unrighteous mammon, that is, more earthly treasure, and greater temporal power. And, what is still more extraordinary, by such wretched reasoning the bulk of mankind were convinced.

It is worth while to remark the great difference between the style adopted by the apostles, in relation to all sacred matters, and that which, in the course of a few ages, crept into the church, and even became universal in it. Under the Mosaic economy, which exacted the rigid observance of a burdensome ritual, the only place devoted to the ceremonial and temporary service, consisting in sacrifices and oblations, ablutions, aspersions, and perfumes, was the temple of Jerusalem; for nowhere else could the public ceremonies be lawfully performed. The places that were dedicated to what may be called comparatively the moral and unchangeable part of the service, consisting in prayers and thanksgivings, and instructive lessons from the law and the prophets, were the synagogues, which, as they were under no limitation in point of number, time, or place, might be built in any city or village where a suitable congregation of worshippers could be found-not only in Judea, but wherever the Jewish nation was dispersed, and that even though their temple and their polity should subsist no longer. The ceremonies of the law being represented in the gospel as but the shadows of the spiritual good things disclosed by the latter, and its corporal purifications and other rites as the weak and beggarly elements, intended to serve but for a time, and to be instrumental in ushering a more divine and rational dispensation, it was no wonder that they borrowed no names from the priesthood to denote the Christian ministry, or from the parade of the temple service, much calculated to dazzle the senses, to express the simple but spiritual devotions, and moral instructions, for which the disciples of Jesus assembled under the humble roof of one of their brethren. On the contrary, in the name they gave to the sacred offices, as well as to other things regarding their religious observances, they

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showed more attention to the service of the synagogue, as in every respect more analogous to the reasonable service required by the gospel. The place where they met is once (James ii. 2.) called a synagogue, but never a temple : " If there come into your assembly ;” εις την συναγωγην ύμων. And it is well known, that the names teacher, elder, overseer, attendant, or minister, and even angel or messenger of the congregation, were, in relation to the ministry of the Jewish synagogue, in current use.

When we consider this frequent recourse to terms of the one kind, and this uniform avoidance of those of the other; and when, at the same time, we consider how much the sacred writers were inured to all the names relating to the sacerdotal functions, and how obvious the application must have been, if it had been proper—it is impossible to conceive this conduct as arising from any accidental circumstance. We are compelled to say with Grotius, (De Imperio sum. Potest. cap. ii. 5.), " Non de nihilo est, quod ab eo loquendi genere, et Christus ipse, et apostoli semper abstinuerunt." It is, indeed, most natural to conclude, that it must have sprung from a sense of the unsuitableness of such an use to this divine economy, which, like its author, " is made not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life." I may add, it must have sprung from a conviction, that such an application might mislead the unwary into misapprehensions of the nature of the evangelical law.

In it, Jesus Christ is represented as our only priest; and as he ever liveth to make intercession for us, his priesthood is unchangeable, untransmissive, and eternal. A priest is a mediator between God and man. Now we are taught, in this divine economy, that as there is one God, there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The unity of the mediatorship, and consequently of the priesthood, in the strictest sense of the word, is as really an article of our religion, as the unity of the Godhead. I do not deny, that in a looser sense every minister of religion may be called a mediator, or, if ye please, a priest; inasmuch as he is the mouth of the congregation, in presenting their prayers to

God, and is, as it were, also the mouth of God, on whose part he admonishes the people. The great reason against innovating by the introduction of these names is, not because the names are in no sense applicable, (that is not pretended), but because, first, they are unnecessary; secondly, their former application must unavoidably create misapprehensions concerning the nature of the evangelical ministry; and thirdly, because the inspired penmen of the New Testament, who best understood the nature of that ministry, never did apply to it those names. But to return: The only proper sacrifice under the new covenant, to which all the sacrifices of the old pointed, and in which they were consummated, is the death of Christ. This, as it cannot, like the legal sacrifices, be repeated, neither requires nor admits any supplement: "For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." Sometimes, indeed, in regard to the Mosaic institution, an allegorical style is adopted, wherein all Christians are represented as priests, being, as it were, in baptism, consecrated to the service of God; the whole community as a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices to him; the bodies of Christians as temples destined for the inhabitation of God through the Spirit. The oblations are thanksgivings, prayer, and praise. The same name is also given to acts of beneficence and mercy: "To do good, and to communicate, forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." This is also the manner of the earliest fathers. Justin Martyr, in his dialogue with Trypho, the Jew, after mentioning Christ as our all-sufficient high-priest, insists, that, in consequence of our Christian vocation, we, his disciples, not the pastors exclusively, are God's true sacerdotal family. Huus αρχιερατικον, το αληθινον γενος εσμεν το θέ8. In this allusive way, also, the terms circumcision, passover, unleavened bread, altar, sabbath, and the like, are sometimes allegorically applied by the sacred penmen. But nowhere are the terms high-priest, priest, or levite, applied peculiarly to the ministers of Christ.

Ημεις

Doctor Hickes, a zealous asserter of what he calls the Christian priesthood, has a wonderful method of solving this difficulty. He supposes, that Christ and his apostles acted

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