doth by Allufion call the Chriftian Bishop Pater Sacrorum, who had among the Latins the fame Office as the Myftes, Myftagogus, or Hierophantes had among the Greeks. It is well known how the° Author of the Ecclefiaftical Hierarchy, under the Name of Dionyfius Areopagita, affects the Words. And P Gregory Nazianzen faith, that Chrift as a Myftes taught his Difciples the Mysteries of the Paffover. It would be tedious to fhew how the Fathers call'd the Two Sacraments by the Name of Mysafolia, nor need we wonder, when the Word Musov My ftery is fo often used in the New Teftament The ?Kingdom of Heaven, or the Kingdom of God, as the Church is called by our Lord, had its Rights and Myrieftes, and 1 Cor. 4. 1. the Minifters of it are call'd the Stewards or Difpenfers of the Myfteries of God, which Expreffion, whether Mr. To, land will or no, is a plain Defcription or Glofs of a Myftagogue, even as plain and fignificant a Defcription of an Hierophant or Myftagogue as that of Hefychius, A Mystagogue is a Priest who inftruts a Learner of religious Myfteries; or that in 'Suidas, r • He calls the Apoftles iseguúsas cap. 11. De divinis nominibus. And de Ecclefiaft. Hierarchia Sect. 4. p. 201. he calls the Apoftles, and Writers of the New Teftament iseglexers, and Chrift πρῶτον ἱεροτελεσήν, according to Tertullian, who calis him Authenticum Pontificem Dei patris, Eliminatorem humanarum Macularum, & Sacrificiorum aternum Antiftitem. He also calls the Catechetical Inftitution into the Chriftian Religion Múngis de Hierarch. Eccles. p. 22. And the Bishops (whom the Hiftorian calls the Priests of Christ) who inftructed Conftantine the Great in the Chriftian Religion, made no Difficulty in what they faid to him, to call Baptifm Munois, the Baptized Meuunuevor, and the Unbaptized 'Auvnor. Sozom. Hift. Eccl. Lib. 1. Cap. 3. P Orat. XL. p. 6.59. Xersos pusa [afe To μalla's To πάσχα. I Matth. xiii. xi Mark 4. xi Luke 8. X. Μυσα[ωγός, ἱερεὺς ὅ τοὺς μύσας ἄν. * Μυςαγωγός, ἱερεὺς μυςηρίων διδάσκαλΘ. Μυς αζωζώ, τα A Mystagogus Ι A Myftagogue is a Prieft, who is a Teacher of Myfteries. Hence St. Paul, as an Hierophant or Myftagogue of the Gofpel, defires the Coloffians to pray for him, that God would open unto him a Door of Utterance to speak the Mystery of Chrift. If you defire to see more, applicable to this purpose, you may confult 1 Cor. xi. 4, 5, 6, 7. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Rom. xvi. 25. Eph. iii. 3, 4. Collof. i. 25, 26, 27.—ii. 2, Which Places being confider'd, I believe it will be impoffible for Mr. Toland to give a good reafon why a Chriftian Prieft, or Pater Sacratus, may not as properly be called a Myftes in one Senfe for a Myftagogue, (whofe Office it is to initiate into the Myfteries of the Chriftian Sect) as well as the Learners whom he initiates and inftructs, are fo called in the other. St. Ignatius, as I have fhew'd, fo calls the latter'; and why we may not fo esteem and call the former I can give no reason, tho' the Word is not to be found in the Writings of the New Teftament, fince the thing in other Words is denoted there. In like manner the Minifters of the Chriftian Church have been ever deem'd and spoken of as Priefts from the time of the Apoftles, by the Church and Church-Writers, who could not be ignorant of the common Notion of Priesthood among Jews and Gentiles, and of the Nature of their own Ministry; and who had more Sanctity than to ufurp the Title of Pricfts, when they firft began to be fo call'd, if they had not known and believed themselves to be fuch, and their Office, in which they minifter'd unto God, to be as truly, and properly Sacerdotal under the New Law, as that of Aaron and his Sons was under the Old It was indeed a Priefthood of a different Kind and Religion, nay of a more fimple Kind, because of a more fimple Religion, of a more fimple free and eafie Kind, becaufe in Conformity to Chri tianity, which was but reform'd Judaifm, it was stripp❜d ftripp'd of much ceremonial Pomp, and many carnal Rites; and fervile and burthenfome Obfervances impos'd upon them till the time of Reformation, and particulary discharged of all the Sacrifices by Slaughter and Blood, as of Goats, Bulls and Calves, to which Chrift put an end by his one offering up of himself once upon the Crofs for the Sins of the whole World. But then, tho' it was a more fimple Priesthood than the Levitical, yet nevertheless they thought it had the Nature and Notion of Priesthood, as much as that Miniftry, or else it is difficult to imagine, that the Succeffors to the Apoftles after the Destruction of Jerufalem fhould arrogate, and affume to themselves a Title which did not truly belong to them, as Minifters of the New Teftament. They undoubtedly knew the reafons, for which the Apofties and Presbyters in the Infancy of the Church did not call themselves Priefts; but if they had thought their Office, and Miniftry was not a Priefthood, they would alfo have abftain'd from the Title of Priefts after their Example; but fince they did not, it is reasonable to prefume, that they thought their Office to be truly Sacerdotal, and that the great Difference which Grotius faith was between them confifted in Circumftance, as to their different Succeffion and Defigna, tion, and not in Effence or Subftance; as will appear from the Scriptures of the New Teftament, as expounded by the confentient Opinion and Practice of all Chriftians till of late Years. And as Tully faith, That the Confent of all Men is the Voice of Nature: So the Confent of all Chriftians in Opinion, and Practice for fo many Ages, ought to be receiv'd as the undoubted Senfe of the Scriptures and the Voice of the Catholick Church; and particularly as to this thing, as well as others, which I Dr. Beveridge's Promium above cited, t have prov'd by feveral Inftances, are in the Scriptures of the New Teftament, and may be prov'd from thence, tho' they are not named therein. I. "W CHA P. II. Herefore I proceed to fhew in the fecond Place, that tho' the Names of Priest and Priesthood, as apply'd to Bishops and their Office, are not to be found in the New Teftament; yet the things fignified by them are there, and properly belong to the Minifters, and Ministry ordained by Christ under the Difpenfation of the Gospel, which is the very End, Subftance, and Verity of the Mofaick Oeconomy, and the fulfilling of the Mofaick Law. To evince this, I begin with the Description, or Definition of an Highprieft, or Prieft, which the Apostle gives us in the fifth Chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews, verfe ift. Every High Prieft, (faith he) taken from among Men, is ordained for Men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both Gifts and Sacrifices for Sins. Or, Every HighPrieft is taken from among Men, and ordained in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both Gifts and Sacrifices for Sins: That is, every HighPrieft is taken from among Men, and ordained for Men, to prefide in holy Matters relating to God, or the Worship of God; or as the Syriac Verfion renders the Place, every High-Priest among Men ftands for Men in things that are of God, i. e. every b a Pro hominibus praeft rebus divinis. Caftal. Etabili pour les hommes, en ce qui regarde le culté de Dieu. Mons-Teftament. Etabli pour les hommes, en ce qui regarde Dieu. Le Clerc, High-Prieft on Earth among Men stands in the Prefence of God to perform divine Offices for them, and for their Benefit and Good, to reconcile them to God, and God to them, or to obtain Graces and Favours to them from him, and as it were to inter pofe between him and them. So in the 11th Chapter of this Epiftle, verfe 17. the Apostle defcribing the Priesthood of Chrift from the Nature of the Priesthood, or Prieftly Office among the Jews, faith, in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his Brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful High-Prieft in things pertaining to God, to make Reconciliation for the Sins of the People. II. Sir, you know the Words of the Original here and in the 1ft Verfe of the 5th Chapter are Ta esov, and that the Apoftle took them from the Greek Tranflation of the Old Teftament, Exod. xviii. 19. where Jethro faith unto Mofes, 510 ΟΥ ΤΗΝ Π Γίνε σὺ τῷ λαῷ τὰ πρὸς τ Osov. In our Tranflation, be thou to the People to Godward, that thou mayeft bring the Caufes unto God. In other Verfions, be thou to the People before God, or in the Prefence of God, or be thou to the People (à parte Dei) on God's part, or as the vulgar Latin Tranflation, Be thou to the People in things pertaining to God. Or, be thou for the People in things towards God, or as Caftalio, Tu populi rem apud Deum agito, Do thou the Peoples Bufinefs with God. So in Exod. iv. 16. where God told Mofes that Aaron fhould be his Prophet, and he should 1 d A caufe des hommes, pour leur bien; & leur utilité; à fin de Les reconcilier à Dieu, ou de leur obtenir quelques graces, & bien faits de lui, & ainfi s'interpofer entre Dieu, & Eux. In the great French Bible on the Place, publifh'd with large Notes by Samuel and Henry des Marets Amfterdam, MDCLXIX. Efto tu populo in his, que ad Deum pertinent. Que tu fois pour le peuple envers Dieu. Great French Bible. |