Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

as a common Dictate of natural Reaion, to exprefs their Reverence for the Deity, and their Affections to Religion by conferring extraordinary Privileges of Honour upon fuch as adminifter in holy Things, and by providing liberally for their Maintenance.

And that the Honour due to the holy Function flows from the Law of Nature, appears from hence that in the eldest Times the Civil and the Sacred Authority were united in the fame Perfon. For as the Original of civil Government was from private Families, fo before those Families came to affociate for more publick Worship the Mafier of the Family was the Priest of it.

Q. How were Pricfts refpected among the

Heathens?

A. In all Countries they enjoyed great Marks of Pre-eminence and Power, and managed the Plut. de moft weighty Affairs of Peace and War. AIfid. & mong the Egyptians their Kings were always declared either out of their Priesthood or Soldie

Ofir.

Tom. 2.

P. 354.

ry; but he that was chofen out of the Soldiery, Strabo was obliged immediately to turn Priest. The . Geogr... Magi in Perfia were Privy-Counselors to the P. 23, 24 great Emperors of thofe Dominions. The Porphyr. de Abt. Brackmans in India were exempted from legal lib.4. §17. Penaltics and common Tribute, and in all DifCaf. de ficulties were applied to by Prince and People Bell. Gal. for their Advice and Prayers. The Druids, the

Jib. 6.

Priefs formerly of this our Island, as well as of France and Germany, were in fuch great Efleem, that they judged all publick and private Caufes, and diftributed the main Springs of Qbedience, Rewards and Punishments; they never attended the Wars, nor were required to con

tribute

tribute towards the Charge of them, but enjoyed an univerfal Immunity. The Romans, a wife and valiant People, fet fo great a Value upon the Priestly Order, that if their principal Magiftrates by Chance met any of Vefta's Priefts, Liv.Lib.1. they gave them Place. Numa Pompilius, who civilized that warlike Nation, is reported fometimes to have performed the Prieft's Office himfelf. Their Confuls fought the high Dignity of Pontifex Maximus, and feveral Emperors after Auguftus's Time were folemnly admitted to be High-Priefis.

Q. How were Priests refpected before the giving of the Law?

12. 7, 8.

A. The Character of the Perfons who officiated as Priefts before the Law, very much tended to fupport the Honour and Dignity of the PriestSpenc. de bood. For tho' in the firft Ages of the World, leg. Heb. in what related to a Man's felf, it is very pro- Lib.1.c.6, bable, from the Inftances of Cain and Abel, that P. 135. every Man was his own Prieft, yet it is plain, Gen.4.10. that the Family Sacrifices were performed by 35. 3, 7the Master of it, who, as he exceeded the rest Job 1. 5. in Power and Authority, fo he was thought fit-42. 8. teft for that honourable Function. When Families increased and affociated together for the more publick Worfhip of God, the facred and the civil Power were united in the fame Perfon. Thus Melchifedek was King and Prieft in Salem; and among the Ægyptians, as was ob- Plutarch. ferved before, the Priesthood was joined with Quæft. the Crown. The Greeks accounted the Priest-Rom.113. bood of equal Dignity with Kingship; which is S lib. 3. c. taken Notice of by Ariftotle in feveral Places of 10, 11. his Politicks. And among the Latins we have a Testimony from Virgil, that at the fame Time Æn. 3. Nn4

Anius

Gen. 14.

18.

De Rep.

6. &c.

Anius was both Prieft and King. Nay, Mofes Exod. 24. himfelf, who was Prince of Ifrael before Aaron was confecrated, officiated as Prieft in that folemn Sacrifice, by which the Covenant with Ifrael was confirmed.

Q. How were Priests refpected under the Law?

A. Though the whole Nation of the Jews were, in respect of other Nations, God's peculiar People; yet Levi was his peculiar Tribe, his Lot, and his Inheritance, fet apart that they Deut. 33. might execute the Service of the Lord; and upon 8, &c. the Account of their being devoted to minifter in holy Things, called his bely Ones. That God intended great Honour and Authority fhould be conferred upon the Pricfts, may apDeut. 7. pear plainly from the Power he gave them to in8,5, &. terpret the Law, and to decide doubtful Cafes; and from those fevere Punishments he threatens to bring on fuch as did not comply with their Exod. 28. Determinations. And as for the High Priest, his Garments, his Palace, his Place in the Sanbedrim, and upon other Occafions, fufficiently fhew the Dignity of his Office, and the Authority he was invefted with. The Laws, that God was pleafed yet farther to give in relation to the Priesthood, tended to preferve the CharaLev. 21. Eter from being contemptible; for any corporal Blemish made a Man unfit for it; and the particular Directions concerning their Marriages, and their not mourning for their nearest Kindred, made their Perfons ftill more eminent. But what chiefly contributed to their Honour, was the Law about firft Fruits and Tenths, which were folemnly dedicated to God, and yet were to be brought to the Temple for the Maintenance of the Priests,

21.

Q. Why

Q. Why was the Priesthood confined to one Tribe?

4. It is thought that the chief Reason why God confined the Priesthood under the Law to one Tribe, was the better to train up the Jews in the Knowledge and Worship of the true God, and to pr. ferve them from the Idolatrous Rites of their Neighbours, to which they were but too much addicted. For this was a certain Sign, that Sacrifices, offered him by any other Hands, were neither agreeable nor acceptable to him; because this teftified that the Church of God was refrained to one People. So long therefore as none could adminifter in holy Things but those of the Tribe of Levi, fo long there could be no Church but of that People whereof Levi was a Tribe.

Q. Why was Levi preferred to this great Honour before any of the other Tribes ?

A. Not only because this Tribe was diftinguifhed by its Relation to Mofes, who was Prince of the Congregation, and whom God thought fit farther to honour, by advancing his Father's Houfe to the highest Pitch of Dignity mortal Man could attain to; but alfo because this Tribe had given the most famous Inftances of their Zeal againft Idolatry. When the Ifraelites worhiped the Golden Calf, the greatest Part of the Levites preferved themfelves free from that Infection. When Mofes took Vengeance on thofe that were guilty of that Idolatry, the Le- Exod. 32. vites being kindled with Zeal, were obedient 26, 29. to his Voice, and affifted in expiating the Guilt Spen. de of fo great a Sin with the Blood of their own leg. Heb. lib. 1. c.6. Kindred. And if we may believe the Rabbins, when the other Tribes were

Jewish

tainted

P. 138.

Heb. 7.4.

with the Superftitions of Egypt, the Tribe of Levi kept conftant to the Worship of God; whereupon God was pleafed thus to reward that Fidelity and Zeal for which they were fo renowned.

Q. What Inftances are there in the Old Teftament of honourable Perfons exercising the Priesthood?

A. Melchifedeck, who exercised that holy FunGen. 14. tion, was King as well as Priest, and the Patriarch braham acknowledged his Superiority by receiving his Benediction, and by paying him Tribute, even the Tenth of all his Spoils. PotiGen. 41. pherah Priest of On was fo confiderable as to Exod.3.1. marry his Daughter to Jofeph, the great Favou

45.

rite of the King of Egypt. Jethro Priest of Midian was Father-in-Law to Mofes, eminent for his Wisdom and Authority. And the High-Prieft Aaron was Brother to the fame Mofes, who was A&s 7.22. fo mighty in Words and Deeds.

Q. How was the Priesthood esteemed among the Primitive Chriftians?

A. The Primitive Chriftians always expreffed a mighty Value and Efteem for their Clergy; because they were fenfible there could be no Church without Priefts, and that it was by their Means that God conveyed to them all those mighty Bleffings which were purchased by Chrift's Death. Ecclefiaftical History is full of Inftances of the Refpect they then paid to their Bishops and Prefbyters, by kiffing their Hands, bowing to beg their Bleffing, and all this even in the Times of Perfecution. They gave all imaginable Proof of a fincere and hearty Love to their Perfons, by maintaining them liberally out of their fhipwrecked Fortunes, and chear

Į

fully

« VorigeDoorgaan »