crifices, and he honoured, and adored with them as holy Rites. Thus in the LXX Years of Captivity, when the Jews had neither Temple nor Altar, nor Sacrifice of any Sort, yet their Priests remained proper Priefts, and their Miniftrations, by folemn Prayers, and Supplications, and Confeffions were of the fame facerdotal, holy, and honorary atoning Nature, as when they miniftred at the Altar, and filled the Courts of the Temple with the Nidors of their Offerings, and if their Captivity and Succeffion had continued to this Day, they wou'd have been proper Priests ftill. In like manner, upon fuppofition that the Chriftian Religion hath neither Altar, nor Sacrifice, as fome Writers rafhly maintain, yet the Ministers of it, as I have already fhew'd from the general Notion of Priesthood, are proper Priefts, or facerdotal Minifters, and their folemn Offices, of as holy, hieratical, and atoning a Nature, as thofe of the Jews were, and as much pertaining to God, and as powerful to procure his Favour. Chrift himfelf our eternal High-Prieft in Heaven hath made Interceffion for his Church, and the faithful Members of it, ever fince he entered into the holy Place without any Sacrifice, only in Virtue of that which he offered once up for all upon the Crofs, which fhews that the Priests Office doth not confift only in offering Sacrifices, but that it may be executed when and where there are no more Oblations appointed to be offered; and fo at all times, and in all places where Sacrifice is no part of the Worfhip, or Service of God. Wherefore it was not Sacrifices, or Power to offer them, which made the Jewish Minifters Priests, more than the other holy Performances pertaining to God for which they were ordained, and the miniftring in which,as well as facrificing, belonged to their Prieftly Office; and therefore tho' it be certain there can be no Sacrifice, or facrificing without Priefts; yet it is as certain there may be Priefts without Offering

or Sacrifices, as when God is pleafed to fufpend, or abolish the Ufe of them; and therefore upon Suppofition, that God hath abolished all forts of Offerings, and Sacrifices, as well as those by Fire or Immolation in the Chriftian Religion; yet the Chriftian Religion, like the Jewith, being a feparate Order of Men, fevered, and fet apart from the Community of the People, and like them ordained to act and adminifter for them in holy things pertaining to God, to make Reconciliation for Sins, and to impetrate Bleffings of him, they must be as proper Priefts as the Jewish Cobens were in Captivity, tho' not facrificing Priests. Sir, I have faid thus much for the fake of fuch Men, as your late Writer, and his Second, who think facrificing effential to the Office of a Prieft, and therefore deny Bifhops, and Presbyters to be proper Priefts; because, as they affirm, they have no material Sacrifices to offer; whereas offering material Sacrifices belongs only to Priests of a facrificing Religion, and is only a part of their holy minifterial Office; as many things befides offering Gifts, and Sacrifices for Sins belonged to the Office of a Jewish Prieft. It belonged to them to judge of legal Uncleanneffes, and to the High-Prielt to enter once a Year into the Holy of Holies; which God, if he had pleased, might have continued, as a part of the holy Ministry of every Christian Bishop, to fignifie that Chrift had entered with his own Blood into Heaven, there to appear for us in the Prefence of God. But as the common Definition of a Prieft belongs to a Chriftian Minifter, though the Chriftian Religion hath not those Miniftrations: So granting that it hath no material Sacrifice, yet its Minifters are Priests, because they are taken from among Men, and ordained for them in other things, of as folemn and holy a Nature, as Sacrifice, which pertain unto God. In truth, Sir, I think they may as well fay, that Chriftian Churches

are

are not proper Temples, or that the Definition of a Temple doth not properly belong to them, because they are not. built after the Pattern of the Jewish Temple, nor have an Altar for Incense, nor a Table for Prefence-Bread, nor a Vail to distinguish the holy from the most holy Place. Nay, Sir, in my Opinion, by the fame way of Reafoning, they may deny the Chriftian Religion to be a proper Religion, as well as its Priests to be proper Priests, because, as they affert, it hath no proper Sacrifice. Do they not know, that the Shew-bread belonged only to the Priefts, or Minifters of the Jewish Temple, and that they only had a right to eat it? And will they therefore deny Chriftian Minifters to be proper Priests, because the Chriftian Religion hath no fuch holy Bread to be always fet for them in the Prefence of God? The Minifters of God, as Priefts, received Tithes before, and under the Mofaick Law; and St. Paul defcribes a Jewish Prieft by taking of Tithes, as well as by offering of Gifts and Sacrifices; and if these Men think, as probably they do, that Tithes are not due under the Chriftian Religion by divine Right to its Minifters, will they for that reafon deny them to be proper Priefts? Nay, in Religions which had Sacrifices, the Minifters of it were thought to act as Priefts in other Applications to their Gods, as well as in facrificing. Thus the fovereign Pontif among the Romans acted as much the Prieft in walking at the Head of that moft folemn funeral fort of Proceffion of a defiled Veftal, and the fecret Prayers he made, with Hands lifted up to Heaven, at the Brink of the Pit, where the was to be buried alive, as when he offered Sacrifice. And Jefus Chrift, when as Advocate with his Father, and by confequence as a Prieft, though not

Hebr. vii. 8.

e

d

• Plutarch in vita Numæ, p. 67. f Qui Rex femper erat, Sacerdos autem factus eft, quando carnem fufcepit. Ambrof. in Epift. ad Hebræos.

yet

yet fo declared, he made publick and most folemn Interceffion unto his Father; the Interceffion, I mean, which he made not only for his Church at that time, but for his future Church throughout the World, with his Eyes lift up to Heaven; I fay, when he then interceded with God in a moft pathetick Prayer for his little Church in Judæa, and his Catholick Church which was to be difperfed over the World, he offered no Sacrifice, though he had all Power given him, and was Lord of the Temple, as well as of the Sabbath; and might, had he pleased, have folemnized his Prayer with Burnt Offering, and Peace-Offerings either at the great Altar of Jerufalem, or at any other, which he had Power to build. This fhews, Sir, though there can be no facrificing without a Prieft, yet that a Man may be a Priest, and act as a Priest, particularly by folemn facerdotal Interceffion, without Sacrifice or Altar.

V. And therefore, Sir, it is fo far from being true, that Chriftian Bishops, and Presbyters are not Priests for want of Oblation or Sacrifice, that it seems more confonant and reasonable to think the Deacons who cannot offer, to be Sharers of the Priesthood in the third or lowest Rank or Order, because by their Office they have Power, and Authority, with the leave of the Bishop, to minifter in publick Prayers, and to adminifter Baptifm; in the former of which divine Services the officiating Deacon is the Peoples Orator, or Spokefman, to offer up their Devotions to God; and in the latter he is God's Procurator, or Reprefentative, to ftand in his ftead to receive fuch Candidates of Heaven as offer themfelves to be baptized into Covenant with him, and inrolled into the Number of Chrift's Church. In the former he folemnly and in a facerdotal manner offers up Prayers, and Supplications, and Praises,

and Thanksgivings for the People, and makes Interceffions to God for them; or what is equiva lent, the People by him, or his Mouth and Minitry, offer up their Prayers and other Devotions to God; and in the latter he is the Minifter of God for Remiffion of Sins by fpiritual Regeneration, and his Vicegerent to receive the baptized Perfon's Profeffion of Faith, and his most folemn Vows and Promises; and in God's Name to release him of his Sins, and to promise him the Kingdom of Heaven, and everlafting Life, and to write his Name in the Book of Life. In thefe divine and honourable Miniftrations the Office and Characters of Priesthood, as above described, are vifible, and by confequence it is not abfurd to affert, that the Deacons, who thus officiate, and act in things of fuch Weight, and Concern between God, and the People; may be deem'd Priefts, or Sharers in the Prieft's Office, tho' in the lowelt degree; and that their Miniftration in things pertaining to God is truly and properly facerdotal. Of this Opinion was Optatus, Bishop of Milevi in Africa, the great Mall of the Donatifts, and equal to St. Auguftin in Piety and Learning, with whom he was contemporary. 8 What need I (faith he) mention many of the Minifters, either Deacons in the third, or Presbyters conftituted in the fecond degree of Priesthood? When in thofe times of Perfecution, fome Bishops, tho' the fupream, and chief Rulers of Clergy and People, that they might fave this fhort uncertain Life by the lofs of Life eternal, deliver'd up their Bibles to be burnt. So in another place, The Church, faith he, bath several forts of Members of the Miniftry, Bishops, Priefts, and Deacons, and the Flock of the faithful People. Tell me then, what fort of Men in our Church you charge with those things which you object. Perhaps

* Lib. 1. p. 15. Edit. Parif. Fol. 1679.

D

* Lib. 11. p. 45. there