Name of the People? Is it not their Office to be their Orators, and to offer their Sacrifices and Prayers to him? And on the other fide, are they not deputed and appointed by him to be his Interpreters, and the Interpreters of his Laws, and Will, and Pleasure in all things to them? I cannot think that your late Writer, or his Second, upon more mature Thoughts, will deny thefe things; and if they will not deny them, then they muft grant, that Bishops, and Presbyters are properly Priefts, and, like Aaron and his Sons, properly ordain'd in things pertaining to God. I am perfuaded, Sir, that no fober Man, or found Reafoner, will deny this Propofition, that confiders the Nature of the feveral holy Offices, that God's Minifters over the Chriftian Church are ordained to perform. Though it would take up a great deal of Time to fhew this out of the more ancient, and modern Offices of the Church; yet I would take the Pains to prove it from them all, that Bifhops and Presbyters are, truly and properly fpeaking, Sacerdotal Minifters of God, and their Offices of a Sacerdotal Nature, but that I think it needless to go about to prove a thing, which will be evident to any Man, who will but read and confider the feveral Offices of our own Church, and apply the common Notion of a Priest, and Priesthood, as I have explained it out of the Scriptures, and in which, as in the Notion of Temple, and Sacrifice, both Jews, and Heathens did agree. In Ful. Pollux Priefts are called oi : Deadṛal, the Minifters of the Gods; and in Suidas iseginn, the Priesthood, is according to the Egyptians faid to be eTea, the Miniftry, or Service of the Gods, and to be converfant about the Immmortality of Souls, and the things of the other State; and Virtue, and Vice, all which agree to the Chriftian Ministry, and fhew Lib. I. cap. I. Segm. 24. 21 it to be a proper Priesthood, and the Ministers of it to be gol Minifters in things that relate to God, as Pollux alfo calls Priefts. I hope it will not be much from the purpofe, or give Offence to any thinking Man, if I here fet down the Expreffions which Dionyfius Halicarnaffeus ufes in the fecond Book of his Roman Antiquities, in defcribing the Priefts, and feveral forts of Priesthoods inftituted by King Numa, to fee whether the Notion they had of Priefts, and the Prieftly Office, is applicable to the Ministers, and Miniftry of the Chriftian Church. They are thefe; icpaat, facerdotio fungi, to execute the Prief's Office, as in this: ráð C isπufio Bis, to exercife the Prief's Office all their Lives long. Iegleia usisn, the Office of the Chief Pontif, or Prieft. Thai & Nuμa alažews μέρισμα υπερ τ ἱερῶν, ὃν ἔλαχον οἱ ἢ μεγίστω ἱερατείαν, i oslav Exoules, the last part of Numa's Inftitutions about facred things, was that which was allotted to them who had the chief Priesthood, and Power. Mḍ ficpsplav Nátağıs, the first Order of the holy Minifteries. ὗτοι τελαΓμιλίας τινάς πορείας ἐπετέλων, thefe performed certain appointed holy Miniftrations. ὑπ' ἀνδρὸς ἐκ ἀπείρε τους τα θεία (οφίας, from a Man not ignorant of divine Matters, or Myfteries. Παρθένων τὰς θεραπείας καλεςήσαλο τη Θεώ, he or dained Virgins to be Minifters (or Priefteffes) to the Goddefs. Αι ἢ θεραπεύεται * Θεὸν παρθένοι τέτλα Res μ nq xal dends, the Virgins, which at firft were Minifters (or Priefteffes) to the Goddess, were but four. 2α πλήθς ἱερε Γιών ἃς ἐπιτελέσιν, through the multitude of the holy Offices which they perform. Τῆς ἐκ ὁσίως πληθέσης τοῖς ἱεροῖς, of the Prientes who did not minifter aright in holy things. Hora Deia vouoberia, an Inftitution of things pertaining to God, or Divine Matters. Kai SindSTI STOI TAS ἱερὰς δίκας ἁπάσας ἰδιώταις τὲ καὶ ἄρκεσι, και λαλες οῖς Θεών - - τάς τε ἀρχὰς ἁπάσας, ὅσαις θυσία τε και θερά -- πεια ἀνάκειν), καὶ τὰς ἱερεῖς ἅπαντας ἐξελάζεσιν,the chief Pontifs have Cognifance of all Caufes relating to holy Matters, both among private Men and Magiftrates, and the Minifters (or Priefts) of the Gods. And they examin all Magiftrates to whofe Care Sacrifce, and the Worfhip of the Gods is committed, and all Priefs what foever. Πολλὲς ἢ βώμες και ναὸς ἱδρυμα ἑορτάς τε εκάςω αὐτῇς Σπονέμων, καὶ ἐπιμβησου μήνες αὐτήν ἱερᾶς καθιςάς, be (Numa) built many Altars, and Temples, and appointed feveral Festival Days for every one of them, and ordained Priefis, who were to take care of them. Περιλαβῶν ἢ ἅπας τρί τὰ θεῖα νομεθεσίαν, διείλεν εἰς ὀκτώ μοίρας, farthermore Numa having committed his whole Inftitution about matters of Religion to writing, he divided them into eight parts. Τοῖς ἢ ἰδιώταις ὁπόσοι μὴ ἰσάσι τὰς τους τὰ θεῖα ἢ δαιμόνια (εβασμός υξηΓειαι γίνον), και τροφής), they are the Expofiters and Interpreters of matters of Religion to the People, who are ignorant of them. * Περὶ ἐν 7 ἱερέων 7 5 είτε βέλεται, τις αὐτὲς ἱεροδιδασκάλες κολάν, είτε ἱερονόμος, είτε ἱερο φύλακας, ἔτι ἱΘ' ἡμεῖς ἀξισμόν ἱεροφάντας, εχ αμ Πήσε) * ἀληθές, wherefore as to thefe Priests (understanding the chief Pontifs) if a Man will call them Teachers of holy things, or Adminiftrators of holy Things, or Keepers and Curators of holy Things, or, as I think, the chief Mafters in teaching holy Things, he will not err from the Truth. r Sir, I think I have omitted no Word, or Expreffion by which my Author defcribes the Prieftly Office, but SunTo, which Pollux reckons among the poetical Names for a Prieft; and according to the No * So in Plutarch's Life of Numa. Ὁ ἢ μέρες 7 πολιτίκων, οι ξητης και προφήτε, μᾶλλον ἢ ἱεροφάνε τάξιν ἐπεχε, μόνον 7 δημοσία δρομέων ἐπιμελέμμα, ἀλλὰ δὴ ἰδία θύοντας ἐπισκοπῶν, καὶ κωλύων παρεκβαίνειν τὰ νενομισμλύα, καὶ διδάσκων ὅτι τις δέοιτο προς Θεῶν τίμων Τησινο tation of the Word, it fignifies one converfant, or employed about Offerings and Sacrifices, as I fhall hereafter fhew, the Minifters of the Church are. But in the mean time let me ask your late Writer, whether the Terms of my Author are not in Propriety applicable to the Chriftian Ministry. Is it not properly icpaglia and Diegπea f Os, or deΠερΓία 7 Θε8, and ωρὶ τὰ θεῖα νομοθεσία; And are we not, properly fpeaking, foufo, who may properly be faid, when we minifter in our holy Offices and Rites, ie, orisedev; Are we not icpselor, and DEOUT NOVIES TYS O, in propriety of Speech, and περή 7 Θεό, οι απορηθέντες της Θεῷ, Are we not Tiεogov muensvles; And in full propriety of Speech, + isogov TENTED, swegon, Teachers, and Interpreters of holy Things? Is not the Epifcopal Office pilisn τα drea And may it not be properly faid of our Bithops, that ὑπὲρ τ ἱερῶν ἔχεσι ἢ μηΓίς ξεσίαν, or that τὰς ἱερὰς δίκας ἁπάσας δικάζεσιν, or that they have Power, τὰς ἱερᾶς ἅπαντας εξηλάζειν ; Are not they principally, and their Presbyters under them ἱεροδιδάσκαλοι, ἱερονόμοι, ἱεροφύλακες, and ἱεροφών); And is not their Office pra seg, or wo Ta dea wohev, to be converfant about holy and divine things? These are my Author's Descriptions of Priefs, and Priesthood; and if they properly belong to Chriftian Minifters, and their Miniftry, then, I hope, Sir, we have a good Title to the Priesthood, and without the help of a Metaphor, may be dignified with the holy and honourable Name of Priefts. If thefe Defcriptions belong to our holy Office, the thing defcribed by them muft belong to us,according to this Maxim in Logick, Cui convenit definitio, & eidem convenit definitum. Your late Writer may undervalue • Θυηπόλο ὁ ἱερεὺς, ὁ πεὶ τὰς θυσίας πολῶν, καὶ ἀνας ρε φόμΘ. Hefych. Phavor. Ὁ θύων ἱερος θυηπολέσι, πει τα μερα πολέσαι. Διεθυσιῶν ὑπισχνόμιμοι θεὸς εξιλάσκες. Suidas. the the Name, and Character of Prieft, and put it as far as he will from him, but I value it to the highest degree; and I speak it to God's Honour, I had rather be the poor Prieft that I am, with all the Hatred, and Contempt, and Perfecution that attends the Priesthood in a moft irreligious Age, than be Premier to the greatest Monarch or moft victorious Conqueror in the World. The Hebrew Word Cohen, which, in Relation to God, all Tranflations render Priefts, fignifies primarily a Minifter, ongens Oes, as Pollux alfo calls a Prieft, and it is a verbal Noun derived from the Verb Cihen, which fignifies Alslev to Minifter, and as ellos, when it relates to God and facred Matters, it fignifies a Prieft, or Minister of the Church, fo when it relates to the King, as I obferved before, it fignifies a Prince, or Minister of State. From which Notation of the Word it follows, that Bifhops and Presbyters as Minifters of God, and employed in his Service, are Cohens, or Priefts; or as Philo defcribes the Fewih Priefts, they are δι αμφὶ τὸ ἱερὸν ὑπηρέται, και elsgol, Servants and Minifters of God to perform holy Offices in his Temple, or as St. Paul fpeaks, Hebr. viii. 2. W aliwv Xalxglol, Minifters of the Sanctuary, or holy things. Or as Plutarch defcribes Priefts, isges, valegloi, Priefts are the Minifters or Liturgs of the Gods. So Acts xiii. 2. Barnabas and Paul's miniftring to the Lord by Fafting and Prayer, is thus expreffed, λειτεργέντων αὐτῶν τις κυ e. In which two places, had the holy Writers written in Hebrew, I doubt not but they would have expreffed themfelves by Coben, and Cihen; for what is expreffed the Prieft's Office, Luke i. 8, 9. by ἐν τῷ ἱεραπεύειν, and ἱερατεία, is expreffed by λαwelia, Miniftry, in the 23d Verfe, and therefore the Minifters of God, and Chrift by all Analogy |