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plied to you, Man being in Honour, doth not underftand, but is like the Beafts that perish. For the Epifcopal Honour, and fublime Dignity, my Brethren, cannot be equalled by any comparison. If you should compare it to the Glory of Kings, and the Diadems of Princes, your Comparifon would debafe it as much, as if you compared the Glittering, and Splendor of Gold to Lead. For Kings, and Princes humble themselves at the Knees of Bishops,and kifs their Hands, because they believe they are defended by their Prayers. Thus, Sir, all Chriftian Kings, and Princes, as well as the common Laity, or People believed, that the Prayer, or Bleffing of a Prieft was more effectual, than the Prayer of a private Perfon, becaufe, as St. Chryfoftom obferves, he prays not barely as a fingle Perfon, but as a Liturg, or publick Minifter of God, and the Mouth of the whole Congregation, yea of the whole Catholick Church, as being a Member of that Priesthood, which is but one through the whole World. Wherefore as the Prayer of a Congregation of Saints, or faithful Chriftians, though confifting but of two, or three, is of more force, than that of a fingle Perfon; fo muft the Prayer of a Prieft be, because he reprefents the Church, being fuppofed to be always prefent amongst his Flock in Perfon, or in Spirit, actually, or virtually by the Authority of Chrift committed to him, as it is written by the Apoftle, In the Name of our Lord Jefus Chrift, when you are gathered together, and my Spirit. And, To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive alfo [& weуowπ xes] in the Perfon of Chrift, i. e. by the Autho rity, which I have from Chrift, in and over his Church. Indeed thefe two places relate to the power of binding, and loofing, or excommunicating,

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Injunctions by King Edw. VI. 1547. forafmuch as Priests be publick Minifters of the Church, and upon Holidays ought to apply themselves to the common Adminiftration of the whole 'I Cor. v. 4. Parish, &c. 2 Cor. ii. 10.

t

and

and abfolving by folemn Prayer in the Church. But their Authority to pray, and intercede, and the Efficacy of their Prayers, and Interceffions, fpecially called Bleffings, was the fame upon all other occafions ; which was the reafon, why in the pureft, and most holy times, the People crowded after the Bishops to have their Benedictions, though now to ask the facerdotal Bleffing is grown into too much Contempt, among too many of thofe, whofe Duty it is to defire it; but, I prefume, not among any of them, who fhould give it in moft folemn manner, wego xes, in the Name of their Mafter, and great High Prieft, Jefus Chrift. Certainly if in the patriarchal Churches the Prayers, whether Bleffings, or Curfes, of Priefts, who were Heads of Tribes, and Families, were thought to be of fuch force, as to be confirmed, and ratified in Heaven, it is reasonable to believe now, that the Prayers, and Interceffions of faithful Priests, who are Heads of national, provincial, or parochial Churches, have the fame force. And I am fo convinced of the powerfulness of facerdotal Interceffion, as fuch, at the Throne of Grace, that I had rather have the benefit of prieftly Supplication, and Interceffion for me in any time of need, especially in time of Sickness, and at the hour of Death, than thousands of their Gold and Silver, who hate, or despise, and ridicule Priefts.

XIV. I have now, Sir, fhewed by many Arguments taken from the New Teftament, that the Minifters of Chrift are proper Priefts, and that their facred Office hath all the Effentials of Priefthood, tho' they are not once called Priefts, nor that, Priefthood in any of thofe facred Writings. I have fhew-. ed that, like the Jewish Priefts, they are taken, or fet apart from the People, and, like them, ordained to minifter for Men in things pertaining to God. I have fhew'd that it is their Office to tranfact, and negotiate

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negotiate between them, as between two Parties, to ftand on the People's part before God, and on God's part before the People; that they are his Meffengers, or Ambaffadors, and their Orators, to pray, and fupplicate in their Name, that they are Chrift's Stewards in his Houfe, his Minifters in his Church, or Kingdom upon Earth, who reprefent him in his facerdotal, as well as in his regal, and prophetical Office, by a Coalition, and Union of all the three Offices in one. I have fhew'd, that as they are Governors under him, as King, and Meffengers, and Teachers under him, as a Prophet: So are they Priefts under him as our High Prieft, and in virtue of the priestly Office advocates to intercede for Men, and as prieftly Superiors to blefs them, and that they have a real Altar, and a real external Sacrifice, or upon fuppofition, that they have not, that yet they cannot but be Priefts; which I have Thewed from the Nature of Priesthood, as it is defcribed in the Scriptures, and other both Chriftian, and Heathen Authors, all which Descriptions I have applied to the Chriftian Ministry, and Minifters to prove them to be proper Priefts. As the House of Chrift is more noble, than the Houfe of Mofes, and the Religion of it much more excellent than that of the Jews: So the Miniftry of it must be more noble, and excellent too, which yet, as I obferved before, cannot be, if it wants the facerdotal Honour, and Holinefs, which the Jewish Miniftry had. In the Coalefcence of the three Offices into one in our Saviour's Ministers, as well as in his own Perfon, the Character of Prieft is the moft noble of the three, and of moft Concern, and Comfort to his People: But if they are only teaching, and ruling Ministers under him, and not Priests, you must give me leave to fay it again, they are much inferior in Dignity, and Utility to the Jewish Ministers, who have power to bless the People,

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and make Atonement for their Sins, as well as to teach, and govern them. Priefts therefore they muft be, otherwife the Minifters of the Gospel are of a Rank, and Order much meaner in many respects than that of the Cobens, or Minifters of the Law nay Priefts they must be, or else your late Writer, and fuch Minifters of the Church as he, must be involved in a dangerous Confequence of their own Opinion, which is to be guilty of Sacrilege in arrogating to themselves the most proper part of the Prieft's Office, which is to ftand for them before God, and as their Orators to pray for them, and to fupplicate, and intercede for them, as their Advocates at the Throne of Mercy, and likewife to blefs them in God's Name, and yet not believe themselves to be proper Priests. But Priefts they are in the most proper fenfe, and fo, I think, they are called by God himself in the "Old Teftament, where foretelling by the Prophet Ifaiab that the Gentiles Should become an holy Church, which are the Words in the Contents of the Chapter, then it follows, and I will alfo take of them for Priefts, and for Levites faith the Lord. Saith Eufebius Cæfarienfis, in his Comment on the 22. v. of this Chapter, If there is a new Heaven, and a new Earth, and a new Hierufalem, by confequence there must be new Priefts, and Levites. To this place of the Prophet Ifaiah anfwers that of Jeremiah, Ch. xxxiii. 17, 18. For thus faith the Lord, David fhall never want a Man to fit upon the Throne of the Houfe of Ifrael; neither fhall the Priests, and Levites want a Man before me to offer Burnt-offerings, and to kindle Meatofferings, and to do Sacrifice continually. It is plain from the Contents of the Chapter, that our Church understands this place of the Kingdom of Chrift, which is his Church. So moft Commentators take

" Ifaiah xlvi. 21.

it in a spiritual, evangelical Senfe, and think that it relates to the times of the Gofpel, and the ftate of the Chriftian Church. The Commentators on the great French Bible are pofitive, that the place fets forth the Firmnefs, and Immutability of the Kingdom, and Priesthood of Chrift, but then they render Priefts, and Levites in both places Docteurs de l'Eglife, Miniftres du S. Evangile, Teachers of the Church, or Minifters of the Gofpel. But according to that Tranflation, what is become of the two Orders, Priest, and Levites? for the Ministers of the Gofpel, according to them, are equal, and make but one Order. Nay, in their own fenfe of Minifters without Priefthood, they will scarce allow the Ministers of the Gofpel to be meant here, for they fay it is rather to be underftood of the whole Houfhold of the Faithful, who make one Spiritual Priesthood; it being certain, fay they, that the Minifters of the Church are not called Priefts, or Levites in any part of the New Teftament. Sir, I fuppofe your late Writer had his Eye upon thefe Notes, commonly called the Geneva-Notes, when he faid that the Notion of Bishops being properly Priefts, was abfolutely rejected by the whole Proteftant Communion. But if that place of the Prophet is to be understood of all the faithful, who make one fpiritual Priesthood, then Women (not to mention Children) are a part of it; Women, who never had any

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▾ Isaiah lxvi. v. 21. Si mieux nous devions entendre ceci à tous les fideles éleus d'entre les Gentiles, honorez de Dieu d'un Sacerdoce Spirituel en fa maifon, felon la privilege de la nouvelle alliance: etant d'ailleurs fort certain, que au nulle part de Nouveau Teftament les Miniftres d' l'Eglife ne font appellés facrificateurs, ou Levites. So on Jeremiah Chap. xxx. v. 17. Par ce parole, & les fuivantes est icy montré la fermetè, & immutabilité de la Royauté, & Sacerdoce de nôtre Seigneur J. Chrift lequel a en outre fous foi non feulement les pafteurs, les docteurs de fon Eglife, mais auffi tous les Membres d'elle, qu'il a tous faits Rois, & Sacrificateurs.

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