priest. The teachers of old were a priesthood chiefly engaged in the presentation of victims. They were ordained for men in things pertaining to God, to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins." The priestly office, being typical, has been abrogated; and Christian ministers, though they conduct the worship, and proclaim the truth of God, are not a priesthood. The office of a Christian pastor is not to atone, but to preach the atonement. Prior to the Levitical institutions, the offering of sacrifices pertained to individuals. Fathers were the priests, as well as the prophets and kings, of their own households. They offered the sacrifices. The cases of Noah, Job, and Abraham are familiar though we have an intimation, in the history of Melchizedek, that in Abraham's time there was an order of men set apart for the discharge of sacerdotal duties. The history of Joseph's marriage discloses the fact that a sacerdotal order existed in Egypt. When the new state of things under the government of Moses was introduced, an order of men was set apart under solemn and imposing circumstances; and from that time the offering of sacrifices was chiefly restricted to those invested with the priestly office. The duties of the priests were high and holy. They had to atone and mediate. Their dress was minutely described; nothing being left to individual choice. They were to wear breeches or drawers, and a tunic reaching to the feet, fitting close to the body, and bound with a girdle. The girdle of needlework was of various colours,-blue, scarlet, and purple. It was tied round the body like a scarf, and its ends hung down at the side. The head was to be covered with a bonnet, or turban, something resembling a crown. The priests were required by special injunctions to be pure, and free from ceremonial defilement. They were to refrain from the ordinary forms of mourning for the dead; and from all intoxicating liquors, when they were about to officiate. Any bodily blemish or defect disqualified them. They were required to take charge of all holy things

sacred place, with all its utensils, ornaments, and furniture, the fire of the altar, the lighting and trimming of the lamp-stand, the replacing of the shewbread, the offering of victims, and the burning of incense. The reader will find a full account of these, and other particulars, in Exodus xxix. 1-35; Lev. viii. The emoluments of the high-priest were derived from certain fees, dues, and perquisites, &c., arising from the public service. He had specially assigned to him a tenth part of the tithes belonging to the Levites. Numb. xviii. 28. The ordinary priests had certain portions of the sacrifices, the first-fruits, and the redemptionmoney, with the fines and penalties which the law prescribed for violation of particular duties. They had also so many cities, with an allotment of surrounding country, for their residence. David divided the priesthood into twenty-four classes. The highpriest was a type of "the great HighPriest of our profession." His duties may be classed under three particulars, in each of which we mark the appointed resemblance,-oblation, intercession, benediction.

PRISCILLA. The wife of Aquila, and probably a deaconess of the church. She shared the labours, toils, and dangers of her husband, and is always named with him. Rom. xvi. 3; 1 Cor. xvi. 19. They were driven from Rome by the emperor Claudius, and were living in Corinth at the time of St. Paul's first visit to that city. Acts xviii. 1, 2.

PROGNOSTICATORS. Isai. xlvii. 13. The phrase "monthly prognosticators" is rendered in the margin, persons "that give knowledge concerning the months." They were a kind of diviners, or astrological almanack-makers.

PROPHECY. By this term are meant, the inspired predictions of the holy Scriptures, which by their wonderful fulfilment are proved to have proceeded from God. We are not to understand by prophecy an ingenious anticipation of future events, which may sometimes be realised; nor dark and equivocal general predictions, the which may often have a plausible

but an herdsman, "yet the Lord took him as he followed the flock, and said unto him, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel." Amos vii. 14, 15. That it was usual for some of these schools, or at least for their tutors, to be endued with a prophetic spirit, appears from the relation of the prophecies concerning the ascent of Elijah, delivered to Elisha by the sons of the prophets, both at Jericho and at Bethel. 2 Kings ii. 3, 5.

pagation of learning, colleges and schools were in divers places erected for the prophets. The first intimation we have in Scripture of these schools is in 1 Sam. x. 5, where we read of "a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery, a tabret, a pipe, and a harp before them, and they did prophesy." They are supposed to be the students in a college of prophets at Geba, or "the hill,' as we render it, "of God." Our translators elsewhere retain the PROPITIATION. The act of a same Hebrew word, as supposing it person who in some appointed way to be the proper name of a place: turns aside wrath, or pacifies an "Jonathan smote the garrison of the offended party. Ordinarily in the Philistines that was in Geba." 1 Sam. New Testament the word rendered xiii. 3. Some persons have imagined propitiation is iλaoμóc: in the imthat the ark, or at least a synagogue, portant passage, Rom. iii. 25, it is or some place of public worship, was laornotov. The former of these at this time at Geba, and that this is words signifies the propitiatory victhe reason of its being styled in the tim; the latter is used by the LXX, former passage "the hill of God." and in the Epistle to the Hebrews, for We read afterwards of such another the mercy-seat, or covering of the company of prophets at Naioth in ark. If the allusion of the apostle Ramah, "prophesying, and Samuel were to that, it would follow that as standing as appointed over them." the mercy-seat was sprinkled with 1 Sam. xix. 19, 20. The students in the blood of the appointed victims, these colleges were called "sons of the and became the medium of gracious prophets," who are frequently men- intercourse between God and the tioned in after-ages, even in the most Israelites, represented by their highdegenerate times. Thus we read of priest, so our Lord may be called the the sons of the prophets that were at propitiatory, as being the person in Bethel; and of another school at and through whom, on the offering Jericho; and of the sons of the pro- of his blood, God holds gracious inphets at Gilgal. 2 Kings ii. 3, 5; iv. tercourse with penitent men. It is, 38. It would seem, that these sons however, better to suppose that as of the prophets were very numerous; the word rendered mercy-seat is for of this sort were probably the properly an adjective, and signifies prophets of the Lord, whom Jezebel simply propitiatory, the word victim cut off; but "Obadiah took an hun- is understood. This is more in condred of them, and hid them by fifty gruity with the whole passage. If in a cave." 1 Kings xviii. 4. In these the mercy-seat were referred to, the schools young men were educated figure would represent Christ as a under a proper master, who was com- mercy-seat sprinkled with his own monly, if not always, an inspired blood. Besides, the phrase prophet, in the knowledge of religion, forth" means publicly exposed, or and in sacred music, I Sam. x. 5; held out to view; and this could xix. 20; and were thereby qualified scarcely refer to the mercy-seat, to be public preachers, which seems which was never publicly exposed to have been part of the business of to the view of those for whom atonethe prophets on the Sabbath-days and ment was made, but only to the festivals. 2 Kings iv. 23. God gener-high-priest on the great day of ally chose the prophets, whom he atonement. The party propitiated is inspired, out of these schools. Amos, God, "the offended God." Not that therefore, speaks of it as an extra- he is implacable. The recovery of ordinary case, that though he was man originates with him. He is not one of the sons of the prophets, love, and delights in mercy. The

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mercy originated the atonement. The misrepresentations of the glorious scheme of man's recovery, by Socinians and others, seem to be wilful, and indicate a sad state of heart. See ATONEMENT, MERCY, MERCYSEAT, EXPIATION. In these articles the subject of propitiation is more fully explained.

PROSELYTE. A name appropriated to converts from heathenism to Judaism. They were designated in the Old Testament by two words, which signify strangers and settlers. The word PROSELYTE means an incomer. The Jews generally distinguish two classes proselytes of righteousness, and proselytes of the gate. The former embraced the Jewish religion, and were admitted to the enjoyment of all its rites and ordinances; the others renounced heathenism, and conformed, in some respects, to the Jewish religion, but were only allowed limited privileges. This distinction is mentioned by the rabbinical writers, and does not appear to be sanctioned by Scripture authority.

not un

He says: Know then, Sir, that when I say the religion of Protestants is in prudence to be preferred before yours, on the one side, I do not understand by your religion the doctrine of Bellarmine, or Baronius, or any other private man amongst you, nor the doctrine of the Sorbonne, of the Jesuits, or of the Dominicans, or of any other particular company among you, but that wherein you all agree, or profess to agree, the doctrine of the council of Trent: so, accordingly, on the other side, by the religion of Protestants, I derstand the doctrine of Luther, or Calvin, or Melancthon, nor the Confession of Augsburg, or Geneva, nor the Catechism of Heidelberg, nor the Articles of the church of England, no, nor the harmony of Protestant confessions; but that in which they all agree, and which they all subscribe with a greater harmony, as a perfect rule of faith and action; that is, the Bible. The Bible, I say, the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants. Whatsoever else they believe besides it, and the plain, irrefragable, PROSEUCHE. The word means indubitable consequences of it, well prayers, and is used of the places may they hold it as a matter of where the Jews were accustomed to opinion; but as a matter of faith and offer prayer, Acts xvi. 13. They religion, neither can they, with codiffered from the ordinary synagogue: herence to their own grounds, believe y were generally in the open air, it themselves, nor require belief of it in a grove or shrubbery, or on the of others, without most high and bank of a river without the city-most schismatical presumption. I, gates, and were often surrounded with a covered gallery.

PROTESTANT. A name given to the six Lutheran princes, to the deputies of thirteen imperial towns, and to Luther, who all solemnly protested against the defees of the diet of Spires, held A.D. 1529. It is now generally applied to the Christian sects, of whatever denomination, or in whatever country they may be found, who have separated from papal Rome. Chillingworth defined Protestants to be those who take the Bible only as the source from which they derive all their doctrines and principles of practice. We subjoin a quotation, in which he addresses himself to a popish writer, and explains the sense in which he uses the phrase, "the religion of the Protestants."

for my part, after a long and, as I verily believe and hope, impartial, search of the true way to eternal happiness, do profess plainly that I cannot find any rest for the sole of my foot but upon this rock only. I see plainly, and with my own eyes, that there are popes against popes, and councils against councils; some fathers against other fathers, the same fathers against themselves; a consent of fathers of one age against a consent of fathers of another age; traditive interpretations of Scripture are pretended, but there are few or none to be found; no tradition but that of Scripture can derive itself from the fountain, but may be plainly proved either to have been brought in in such an age after Christ, or that in such an age it was not in. In a