the Margin, and in Dr. Hammond's Note bon As xi. and as Bishops, and Presbyters, they have

nioritatis virtutes, & officia ad veram, & intrinfecam Sacerdotii dignitatem neceffario prærequirantur; exinde patet Sacerdotium aliquid amplius Senioritati additum apertiffime completi. Commune igitur fit Seniori, & Sacerdoti, ut religionis Deoaeg fóle, fan&t eque fapientia traditionem ex officio divinitùs conceffo, & facro, uterque propaget. Quod vero Sacerdotii proprium est, & mero Senioris ordini extrinfecum, & fuperius, hic loci opportunè difcutiendum videntur. Omne ergo Sacerdotium publicum, quantum rimari liceat, ab ipfis mundi primordiis duplicia exequitur pietatis officia, Moralia fcilicet, & Myftica, five Symbolica, vel Sacramentalia. Mystica autem Sacerdotii Levitici in his tribus potiffimum conftiterint, in Lotionibus, Sacrificiis, & dapibus eorumque propriis Ceremoniis. Moralia autem in facris benedi&tionibus, Deut. xxi. 5. Liturgiis precum, & Laudis, & perfonarum, & rerum piis ufibus devotarum confecrationibus celebrandis, verfabantur. Notari igitur velim da in veteri, d in nostro Sacerdotio eadem omnino effe moralia, mystica vero diverfa, noftra vero prioribus avliva. Siquidem Lotionibus Leviticis noftrum lavacrum, iftorum Sacrificiis Christi victima, veterum dapibus Coena Domini ex adverfo refpondent: Ex quibus unicum, i. e. Christi Sacrificium ab ipfo folo Chrifto pontifice offerri potuit, femelque ideo offerrebatur. Lavacrum, & fan&tam Cœnam fele&tis ad hæc Sacerdotii Chriftiani munera difcipulis Chriftus confecranda tradidit. To which let me add out of Ifidore's Originals, Lib. VII. Cap. XI. Epifcopus autem vocabulum inde dictum, quod ille qui fuperefficitur, fuperintendat, Curam fcilicet gerens fubditorum. ExoT enim Grace intendere dicitur. Epifcopi autem Grace, Latine Speculatores interpretantur- -Pontifex Princeps Sacerdotum eft, quafi via fequentium. Ipfe & fummus Sacerdos, ipfe & Pontifex maximus nuncupatur. Ipfe enim efficit Sacerdotes, atque Levitas. Ipfe omnes ordines Ecclefiafticos difponit. Ipfe quod unufquifque facere debeat, oftendit.Antiftes Sacerdos dictus ab eo, quod anteftat. Primus eft enim in ordine Ecclefia & fupra fe nullum habet. Sacerdos autem quafi facrum dans. Sicut enim Rex à regendo, ita Sacerdos à facrificando vocatus eft. Confecrat enim, & fan&tificat. Presbyter Grace Latineque Senior interpretatur; non pro ætate fed propter honorem, & dignitatem, quam acceperunt, Presbyteri noIdeo autem &, Presbyteri Sacerdotes vocantur, quia facra dant, ficut & Epifcopi: qui licet fint Sacerdotes, tamen pontificatus apicem non habent, quia nec Chrifmate frontem fignant, nec paracletum Spiritum dant. Quod folum deberi Epifcopis tertio Altuum Apoftolorum demonfirat. Levita- -Grace Diaconi, Latine Miniftri dicuntur, quia ficut in Sacerdote Confecratio: ita in Diacono minifterii difpenfatio habetur.

minantur.

Authority

Authority to govern, and teach the People the Revelations, and Inftitutions of God; and because their Doctrine is to the Peoples Souls, as Food is to their Bodies; they are faid to be their Paftors, who feeed as well, as govern their Flocks. Alfo as Bishops, and Presbyters, that is, as chief, and fubordinate Rulers under God, they receive their penitential Acknowledgments, and Confeffions, and abfolve, or refufe to abfolve them of their Offences, in his Name; and in this Relation they ftand before the People for God. But as Priefts, they ftand before God for the People, to pray for them, that is, to bless them, and to offer up their Prayers, and Praifes, and Sacrifices; and to perform the myftical Rites, and Offices of our Religion in the Holy Supper, and Baptifm, which anfwer to the myftical Lavations, Sacrifices, and federal facrificial Feafts both of the Jewish, and Gentile World, whereof the latter, as any Man may plainly fee from the moft ancient Heathen Authors, was a Depravation, and Corruption of the former. As Priests alfo they confecrate Places to the Service, and Perfons to the Ministry of God, by folemn Separation of the one from common Ufe, and of the other from common Employments, to divine Ufes, and Employments.

But to return from this fhort Excurfion to the holy Apocalyptical Angels, the feven Bishops of the feven Afian Churches are called the feven Angels, Ch. i. 20. The Mystery of the feven Stars, which thou faweft in my right Hand, and the feven golden Candlefticks. The feven Stars are the Angels of the feven Churches, and the feven golden Candlesticks, which thou faweft; are the feven Churches. And as they are called fo in general, fo every of them in. particular is myftically fo called in the iid Chapter of this prophetical Book. As for Inftance, to the

I Cor. v. 4. 2 Cor. xi. 10.
M 3

Angel

Angel of the Church of Ephefus, that is, to the Chief Prieft, or Bishop of the Church of Ephefus, write thefe things. I fay to the Chief Priest, or Bifhop, for as thefe myftical Angels, are fometimes defcribed as Priefts by this Evangelical Prophet, fo under the Name of Presbyters, i. e. of "ruling, or prefiding Presbyters, they are defcribed as fpiritual Princes, Cap. iv. 4 according to what, Sir, you know I have written of them in my Second Letter to Mr. S. G. The Text with the Context is as follows, Immediately I was in the Spirit, and bebold a Throne was fet in Heaven, and one fat on the Throne. And round about the Throne were four, and twenty Seats, (or other Thrones) and upon the Seats I faw four, and twenty Presbyters fitting, cloathed in white Raiment, and they bad on their Heads Crowns of Gold.- -And they fell down before him, who fat on the Throne, and worshiped bim, who liveth for ever, and ever, and caft their Crowns before the Throne, faying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive Glory, and Honour, &c. Here, Sir, I muft obferve, that as to the golden Crowns, this prophetical Defcription anfwers to the golden Crown, which was made for Fofhua the High Prieft, Zach. vi. 11. and that by Golden Crowns here are fignified golden Miters, fuch as the High Priefts had under the Law, whofe Miters, were alfo called Crowns. This fhews, Sir, that by Presbyters cannot be underflood the inferiour Presbyters, but the chief ruling Presbyters, the Bifhops, who are here reprefented as Princes, in the fpiritual Dominions

h

k

of

* Προεςώτες πρεσβύτεροι, ο Tim. v. 17. Ἡ εμβροι, Hebr xiii. 7. 17. Пegisάor, Rom. xii. 8.

1 See Dr. Hammond on the Place.

k

* Viginti quatuor Seniores qui ad declarandam omnipotentis Dei gloriam iu circuicu throni ejus confidere dicuntur," Ecclefia Re&tores Epifcopos defignant: atque hi, quia tam Sacerdotes funt quam Re

ges

of Chrift upon Earth. They are alfo faid to be twenty four, in Allufion to the Chief of the twenty four of Priefts, 1 Chron. xxiv. And in Allufion to the Presbyters fitting about the 'Throne of the Bishop, they are reprefented to fit round the Throne of God, and to fet forth their Sanctity, and great Dignity, as Chrift's Chief Minifters in the Church, they are faid to be cloathed in white Garments. Here, as I obferve, the Bishops are defcribed by their Regal Character, as Chrift's Vicegerents, to govern his Church in their refpective diftricts. But in the 1 Chapter, v. 6. they are reprefented in their double Capacities, both as Kings, and Prielts, in thefe Words, Unto bim who loved is and washed us from our Sins in his own Blood, and bath made us Kings, and Priefts unto God, to bim be Glory, and Dominion for ever, and ever, Amen, This Place, as that in 1 Pet. ii. 9. relates to Exod. xix. 6. Where God promifed the Jews, that if they would obey his Voice, and keep bis Covenant, they fhould be unto him a Kingdom of Priests, and an boly Nation, and a peculiar Treafure above all other People. This Promife of God, which was made to the whole collective Body of the Jews, is to be un

ft

ges juxta illud, c. i. 5. Fecit nos Reges, & Sacerdotes, idcirco candidis veftimentis induti, & coronas aureas ferentes cernuntur; per que Myfticè illorum decor & gloria expreffi intelliguntur. Ideo autem xxiv. Seniores vel potius Presbyteri (nam dignitatem hic @geoCuleges declarare arbitror potiks quam ætatem) cernuntur, ut refpondeant xxiv. fortibus Sacerdotum, quas David ex duabus familiis Eleazar, Ithamar filiorum Aaron conftituit 1. Par. 24. ut quemadmodum fub illis xxiv. fortibus, in xvi, ex filiis Eleazer, viii. ex filiis Ithamar, univerfa Sacerdotum ac Levitarum turba continebatur, ita in bus xxi. Presbyteris omnes totius Ecclefiæ Præfecti defignentur. Zeger. Rev. iv. 4.

Προκαθημένα τὸ ἐπισκόπε εἰς τόπον θεῖο καὶ ἢ πρεσβυτέρων es TOTOV Evredeix 7 ATоsónur. Ignat. ad Magnes. So in Epift. ad Trall. 'ElgerNNĚ ἢ ἐπίσκοπον ὡς ὄντα τόπον το wales as Cor. or as Vofius corrects the Place, s & calicy της δε πρεσβυτέρες ὡς Συνέδριον Θεό. M &

derfood

derstood of that Theocratical Form of Government under the High Prieft, and Priefts, in which as a Nation, or People, they were to be thoroughly fetled, and this honourable Promife was made but a very fhort time before it was performed. Hence the Greek Interpreters aptly tranflate a Kingdom of Priests, a Regal Priesthood, becaufe Aaron, and his Succeffors were the chief Magiftrates of that People, as well as their High Priefts. St. Peter useth the fame Expreffion, 1 Epift. ii. 9. Where after he had told the Chriftian Jews, that as a Chriftian People they as lively Stones were built up into a Spiritual Houfe, or Oeconomy of an holy Priesthood upon Chrift, as the chief corner Stone, to offer up fpiritual Sacrifices to God by him; then farther, to explain the form of this fpiritual Oeconomy, he proceeds to tell them, that they were, ftill, as in the time of their Theocracy, a chofen Generation, an holy Nation, a peculiar People formed into the Government of a Regal Priefthood, or Kingdom of Priests, under Jefus the High Prieft of our Profeffion, and his Minifters to make them again the People of God. So in this Place the Apoftolical Prophet gives Glory, and Dominion to Chrift, for purchafing a Church with his Blood, and making the Oeconomy of it a Kingdom of Priefs. St. Paul means the fame thing in his 2 Epift. to the Corinthians, Chap. vi. v. 16. What Agreement bath the Temple of God with Idols, for ye are the Temple of the living God; as God hath faid, I will dwell in

m SoVatablus thinks it is in the primary Senfe to be understood, Regnum Sacerdotale,---Ad verb. Regnum Sacerdotum, h.e. regnum non profanum, quod ex opibus & armis, fed quod ex Sacerdotibus, rebus facris ac divinis conftat, q. d. Sacrum ac Divinum erit hoc regnum.

See the Allegory of building the Tower of the Church in Hermas's Paftor. Vifio iii. Lib. 1.

See Zeger, a little above cited in rhe Margin.

them,