SERM. good will and pleasure of God; and there= I. fore, can indeed be exercised by none but fuch as are called according to his inftitution. Of old therefore, the Priesthood was confined to the family of Aaron: And when Korah, with a company of inferior Levites*, and fome others to fupport them, arrogated an equal honour to themselves; the Almighty hand of providence notorioufly interpofed to put an end to the contention, and visibly diftinguished between these bold invaders of the facerdotal office, and those whom God has chofen to do the fervice of his altar. And that it may appear more particularly, that the Priesthood is no contrivance of man, nor in its nature derivable from the Civil Authority; we find that when Uzziah (though he was a King, and so had all the right that mere civil authority could give him) prefumed to take a Cenfer full of incenfe in his hand, he was immediately smitten with a grievous leprofy, and bore in his flesh the marks of the divine Displeasure +.

It was indeed a part of Jeroboam's policy, to make him Priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the Sons of Levit. But I fuppofe, no one would be willing to argue from his example, of whom

*Numb. xvi. ‡ 1 Kings xii. 31.

+ 2 Chron. xxxi. 16-21.

that

that very act is undoubtedly recorded to his SER M. reproach and infamy. I.

If from the Legal, we defcend to the Gofpel Difpenfation; we shall find indeed the Manner of commiffioning altered, but ftill a Divine Commiffion equally required. The Aaronical is in that respect the pattern of the Chriftian Priesthood, or rather the typical expreffion and prefiguration of it. To this purpose are we told exprefly, that no man taketh thishonour to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron; that even Chrift, the great Shepherd and Bishop of our fouls, glorified not himself to be made an High Prieft, but he that faid unto him, thou art my fon, this day have I begotten thee*. And if then

the

great High-Priest of our profeffion, had himself an external call to inveft him with this office what mortal fhall pretend to take it, without call, and fo ufurp what ought to be bestowed? Chrift being thus made an High-Prieft, appoints his Subftitutes himself, and all Chriftian Priests, all that come in his name, muft derive their authority from him. For that reason sent he forth his Apoftles, as his Father had fent bim +, and ordained fuch a fucceffion in the miniftry as might continue to the end of the world. And all them that enter not by this

*Heb. v. 4, 5. † John xx. 21. Mat. xxviii. 20. VOL. III. door

C

SERM. door into the Sheepfold, but climb up fome I. other way*, them that come in their own name, and run although he has not fent them; all fuch he ftigmatifes with the opprobrious character of Thieves and Robbers.

From all which, we may gather, in what fense we are to take it, that the collective body of Chriftians is faid, in Scripture, to be a royal Priesthood †, and Chrift is said to have made us Kings and Priefts unto God‡; namely, in the fame fenfe as it had been faid to the Ifraelites of old, ye shall be unto me a Kingdom of Priests ||: i. e. that, in the diftinction of the Church from the rest of Mankind, there fhould be fomething analogous to the Priesthood; that as the Prieft is one taken from among Men, and dedicated more immediately to the service of God, and admitted to fome special privileges; fo were the Hebrews of old, and fo are Chrif tians now, diftinguished from the rest of the world, by being facred to him likewife, and called to the privilege of Sons. That it could mean no more in the old Law is evident: For notwithstanding that the Ifraelites were a Kingdom of Priests, in this analogical inferior fenfe; yet it cannot furely be denied, that the family of Aaron were the only Priests in that higher and

*John x. I. Exod. xix. 6.

+ 1 Pet. ii. 9.

1 Rev. i. 6.

more

1.

more proper fenfe, in which we are now SER M. difcourfing of the Priesthood, and do ufually understand the word. And I conceive, it would be unreasonable to explain the fame phrafe in the New Teftament, in a sense different from that which it must be allowed to bear in the Old. And they who do from hence infift on the community of the Priestbood to all Chriftians in general, would do well to fhew us in what fenfe we are all faid to be Kings in the Gofpel-acceptation. For the Regal Character (we may obferve) no less than the Priefly, is one of the pri vileges conferr'd upon every true member of the Chriftian Church. And yet he, who upon this title should lay claim to the crown, would go nigh to be reckoned a Traytor to the Civil Government.

Thirdly, The last thing I would gather from this Dignity of the Sacerdotal Office, is, that the Clergy yet are ftill to remember themselves to be but Minifters, Stewards, Ambaffadors and Servants. Titles! which all of them bespeak a ftate of dependence and fubjection, and infer the perfons to whom they belong not at liberty to act after their own humour, but under the ftricteft obligations to obferve the divine commands of that heavenly Lord and Mafter, whofe Servants and Minifters they are! Obedience to his commands, no doubt,

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I.

SERM. doubt, is due from all: But they who ftand in fo near a relation to him, as that of the Priesthood has already been explained to be, have yet that additional engagement to obey. Thus far the argument will hold for the common performance of all chriftian duties; but yet more particularly it concludes for the faithful and regular discharge of the duties of their facred function, for the due execution of those great offices, and pursuance of those ends, upon account of which they were invested with this character. For the Dignity of their office (they ought always to remember) was not defigned to aggrandise themfelves (who can pretend to no more merit than the rest of their neighbours) but to fet forth the honour of our great HighPrieft, by whofe authority they act, and the more effectually to answer the exigencies of his Church. So that unless they do fincerely endeavour to promote thofe purposes for which they were ordained, they are manifeftly deficient in their duty towards him whofe Ministers they are.

And this confideration naturally leads me

to the

II. SECOND general Head propofed, namely, the Duty of those who are invested with this character, implied in the first clause of

the