eminently ftyled-apoftles. We likewife sad one added to their original number, whole commiffion, received immediately from CHRIST himself, runs in these remarkable words, (Acts xxvi. 17, 18.) To the Gentiles I fend thee, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of fins, and inberitance among them which are fanctified by faith that is in me. In all this there is not a word about priesthood or marriage. We likewise read of 'Еionоñol, overseers, which we call bihops-of πρεσβύτεροι, εἰ ders-Aianovo, deacons ;-but in all that is faid about them (and their several offices are very particularly mentioned, as well as their characters and qualifications) not the least hint appears of their interference in the affair of matrimony. For any man, or fet of men, to tell us that they are commiffioned from GOD, to do a thing, which is not fo much as mentioned in any commiffion which they can produce from the scripture, as ever having been given to any man upon earth, may charitably be fuppofed an impofition on their own understandings; but when forced on the belief of others, it is an insult on the understandings of the reft

of

of the world. It is even worfe ftill, for it is acting with the confciences of men, as the old prophet in Bethel acted towards the man of GOD who came out of Judah to Jeroboam; it is lying to them in the name of the LORD. See I Kings xiii. 18.

As for a priest, there is not, nor can there be, fuch a minifter or officer of the Chriftian church. For every priest (whether high-prieft or other, compare Heb. v. I. with Heb. x. 11.) taken from among men, is ordained for men in things pertaining to GOD, that he may offer both gifts and facrifices for fins; and by reafon hereof he ought, as for the people, fo alfo for himself, to offer for fins. And EVERY PRIEST ftandeth daily miniftring and offering the fame facrifices, which can never take away fins-But this man (CHRIST JESUS) after he had offered one facrifice for fins, for ever fat down on the right hand of GODfor by ONE OFFERING he hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified. Of course there remaineth no more facrifice for fins, (Heb. x. 26. latter part) no more order of priesthood among men. The truth is, that the whole priesthood under the law centered in CHRIST under the gospel; He is in reality what the former was in type and figure. The Levitical priesthood, with every circumftance relative thereto, VOL. II. P

was

was a figure for the time then prefent, (Heb. ix. 9.) The Holy Ghost thus fignifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifeft, while as the first tabernacle was yet ftanding, ver. 8. But CHRIST being come, an high-prieft of good things to come, &c. now once in the end of the world bath appeared to put away fin by the SACRIFICE OF HIMSELF. See Heb. ix. 11, &c. To imagine, therefore, that He appointed an order of men to offer gifts and facrifices for fins (which is the scripturedefinition of the priest's office) befides having no warrant from the fcripture, is to imagine CHRIST'S ONE SACRIFICE of HIMSELF imperfect, and to stand in need of fomething elfe to make it effectual-this runs us directly into what the church of England [Art. 31.] very properly ftyles the blafphemous fables and dangerous deceits" of the facrifice of the Popish mass, wherein a man profeffes to offer CHRIST over again, and very confiftently styles himself a Priest!

66

*

In

*Or rather is fo ftyled by the church of Rome; for in the council of Trent is a decree in the following terms, viz. "The facrifice and the priesthood "are united in each law; therefore there being a "vifible facrifice in the New Teftament, that is the "Eucharift, it must be confeffed, neceffarily, that "there is a vifible and external priesthood, in which 66 power

In one fenfe, every Chriftian believer is a prieft; that is to fay, in the fpiritual fenfe defcribed, 1. Pet. ii. 5. Ye alfo, as lively ftones, are built up a fpiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES acceptable to GOD by JESUS CHRIST. SO St. John, (Rev. i. 5, 6.) Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our fins in His own blood, and bath made us KINGS and PRIESTS unto God and His Father, to Him be glory and dominion, &c. The appellation of KINGS, as well as that of PRIESTS, equally belongs to all Chriftian believers alike, but to no outward order, or particular set of men among them, in any exclufive fenfe whatsoever.

The pride and infolence of churchmen began very early to work, and to aim

*

at

power is given, by divine inftitution, to confe"crate, offer, and minifter the Eucharift, and to "remit and retain fins." Though this decree contains almost as many lyes as words-yet it was fol.. lowed by an horrible anathema on all who fhould deny it. Brent, Hift. Council of Trent, 738, 739. Another anathema of the fame council, is againft "those who should fay that CHRIST, by thefe "words-Do THIS IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"hath not inftituted priests, and commanded them "to offer." Ib. 574.

*Thofe vile forgeries, which bear the name of the apoftolical conflitutions, (the authors of which, it is pretended, were the twelve apostles, and St. Paul,

P 2

gathered

at that dominion over the confciences of men, which has been brought to fo thorough a perfection by the Popes of Rome, though fo formally renounced by an holy

gathered together, with Clemens their amanuenfis) repeat it over and over, left Chriftians fhould forget it, that "a bifhop is a god, a god upon "earth, and a king, and infinitely fuperior to a "king, and ruling over rulers and kings." They command Chriftians to give him tribute as to a king, and to reverence him as a god, &c. Jortin, vol. i. p. 154:

Many paffages there are in Cyprian's writings, who lived in the third century, containing high notions of epifcopal authority and ecclefiaftical jurifdiction. While he ftrenuously opposed the dominion of one Pope, he feemed to make as many popes as biShops, and mere arithmetical noughts of the rest of the Chriftians. Ib. vol. ii. p. 75.

But there is a Popish writer named Alanus de Rupe, who, in an excellent treatife on the dignity and excellency of the Chriftian priesthood," leaves the blafphemy of Bonner, Hickes, &c. far behind; for he makes, in a paffage I have now before me, a prieft greater than GOD himfelf. "Quilibet facer

dos habet poteftatem patris, & (falva femper Dei "reverentia) habet majorem potentiam quam Pater " omnipotens in mundi efficientia. Nempe Pater "feptem dies laboravit, tam in opere creationis quam "diftinétionis, fed facerdos celebrans quilibet, quantumque parvus, majus his omnibus facit.

"Pater enim ibi facit creata, fed facerdos in"creatum. Ibi Deus producit effectus, fed facer❝ dos caufa caufarum generat.

"Quanta eft igitur diftantia Dei a mundo creato, tanta eft excellentia operis facerdotalis fuper opus "creationis. Unde definitivé dico, quod majus eft 66 opus