VICARIOUS RELIGION. as they might with more propriety have called it, the mystery of the divine Unity: for though in itself the doctrine so sedulously inculcated throughout the Scriptures, that there is but One God, seems to present no revolting difficulty, yet, on rising from the disquisitions of many scholastic divines on the inherent distinctions of the three Divine Persons, a candid reader cannot but feel that they have made the Unity of God the great and difficult mystery; and have in fact 29 so nearly explained it away, and so bewildered the minds of their disciples, as to drive them to withdraw their thoughts habitually and deliberately from every thing connected with the subject; as the only mode left for the unlearned to keep clear of error. Yet it might have occurred, one would have thought, to both parties, that learning cannot advance one man beyond another in the comprehension of things which are confessedly beyond the reach of the human faculties altogether; that in total darkness, or in respect of objects beyond our horizon, the clearest and the dimmest sight are on a level;—and that of matters relating to the Deity and revealed by him, not as a special secret, to a favoured few, but to all who would hear his voice, and which cannot be discovered any otherwise than through this revelation-of these, none need know less, and none can know more, than the Almighty has thus revealed. It is, however, important to remark, that though the Unity of the Deity is not in itself a doctrine of very mysterious difficulty, it is one which is the more earnestly dwelt on in Scripture, besides other reasons, for one resulting from the tone of the Scriptures themselves. For they would, but for these express declarations, naturally lead the reader either to believe in three Gods, or at least to be in doubt on the question. The doctrine of the Trinity is not so much declared as a distinct article of faith, as it is implied by the whole history recorded, and views every where taken, in Scripture, of God's threefold manifestation of himself; which are such as would present to our minds nothing inconsistent with the agency of three Divine Beings acting in concert, were it not that such sedulous care is taken to assure us of the numerical Unity of the God thus manifested to us; that in the Son "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead," &c. &c. See Essay vii. (Second to us in the Gospel, every Christian is alSeries) p. 234, 235, and Essay ix. p. 277-281. See also Hinds' "Three Temples of the One God," p. 129, 132, for a most luminous view of this important subject. The reader is also referred to the Articles "One," and "Person," in the Appendix to the "Elements of Logic." It has been doubted whether there is any foundation for the suspicion I have there expressed, that the language of some divines has a leaning towards Tritheism. The following extract will at once explain my meaning, and prove, I conceive, satisfactorily, that my apprehensions are not altogether groundless. It is taken from a work of considerable merit, and which has obtained not only much popularity, but also a peculiarly high description of patronage. Several of my readers will perhaps recognize the passage; but I purposely avoid naming the book, because it is not my object to discuss the merits of this or that individual work, but to call attention to the notions which are afloat in the world, generally; and I am so far from designing to particularize the work in question, as containing any thing novel, peculiar, likely to be generally offensive, and at variance with prevailing opinions, that my meaning is the very reverse. "When the great Creator had finished the rest of his works, wanting another creature to rule them all, and as their Priest, to adore him in their name, he said, 'Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.' In the creation of other things all is done with the tone of command, or with a mere volition. Let there he light; let there be a firmament; let the earth bring forth so and so.' But when man is to be made-a creature who is to be endued with reason and intelli The nature of God as he is in himself, can never be comprehended by the wisest of his creatures; but the doctrine of the Trinity, and the rest of the mysteries of the Gospel, as far as they relate to us, since he has thought fit to reveal these lowed, and is bound, to learn from that revelation "of the mystery which was secret from the beginning of the world, but now is made manifest;" And the doctrine of the Trinity, (which is perhaps the oftenest of any treated as a speculative truth about which none but learned divines need trouble themselves,) as it is a summary of that faith into which we gence-the very image of the Maker-he uses an expression which indicates deliberation and counsel; he consults with some other august Beings, (the two remaining Persons of the Trinity, no doubt,) of whom, as well as of himself, man was to be both the workmanship and the resemblance." If this passage had stood alone in the Jewish Scriptures, or if the Jews had interpreted it, as this writer has done, without any reference to the other passages of Scripture which serve to qualify and guard it, they would doubtless (as the above extract seems to show) have adopted nearly the same hypothesis as was long afterward broached by Arius;-that the supreme God acts in concert "with some other august Beings!" * I am enabled to state this as no mere conjecture or suspicion, but as a matter of fact coming within my own experience; I mean, in respect of sundry individual cases; and it is individual cases only that come within the province of experience. † Rom. xvi. 25. Teach all nations, baptizing them into the name (els to 'óvoμa) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:" this is evidently the right rendering of the original words, and conveys the are baptized, and the key-stone of the Christian system, ought to be set forth continually and universally, as the support of every part of the building of the Christian faith, and the Christian life: reference should be made to it, not merely on some stated solemn occasions, as to an abstruse tenet to be assented to, and then laid aside, but perpetually, as to a practical doctrine, connected with every other point of religious belief and conduct. §. 2. In no point perhaps has the real origin of the Romish corruptions been more imperfectly perceived, than in the one now before us-the setting apart of certain religious dogmas-duties-privileges-in short certain portions of Christianity, as confined to a distinct class of men, and in which the laity were either not allowed or not required to have a share. We are not accustomed to hear much of priestcraft-of the subtle arts of designing men, who imposed on the simplicity of an ignorant people, and persuaded them to believe that they, the priests, alone understood the nature of the Deity-the proper mode in which to propitiate him-and the mysterious doctrines to which the others were to give their implicit assent; and the poor deJuded people are represented as prevailed on against their better judgment, by the sophistry, and promises, and threats, of these crafty impostors, to make them the keepers of their consciences-their mediators, and substitutes in the service of God, and their despotic spiritual rulers. There is undoubtedly much truth in such a representation; but it leaves on the mind an erroneous impression, because it is (at the utmost) only half the truth. If indeed, in any country, priests had been beings of a different species-or a distinct caste, as in some of the Pagan nations where the priesthood is hereditary;-if this race had been distinguished from the people by intellectual superiority and moral depravity, and if the people had been sincerely desirous of knowing, and serving, and obeying God for themselves, but had been persuaded by these demons in human form that this sense which must have been meant, viz., that the baptized convert was enrolled and enlisted, as it were, into the service of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The Vulgate Latin has "in nomine," and our translation, (perhaps from too great reverence for that authority,) "in the name;" which does violence to the original, and introduces a different idea, quite inappropriate. was impossible, and that the laity must trust them to perform what was requisite, in their stead, and submit implicity to their guidance-then indeed there would be ground for regarding priesteraft as altogether the work of the priests, and in no degree of the people. But we should remember, that in every age and country, (even where they were, as the Romish priests were not, a distinct caste,) priests must have been mere men, of like passions with their brethren; and though sometimes they might have, on the whole, a considerable intellectual superiority, yet, it must always have been impossible to delude men into the reception of such gross absurdities, if they had not found in them a readiness-nay, a craving-for delusion. The reply which is recorded of a Romish priest is, (not in the sight of God indeed, but) as far as regards any complaint on the part of the laity, a satisfactory defence; when taxed with some of the monstrous impostures of his church, his answer was, "Populus vult decipi, et decipitaur." Such indeed was the case of Aaron, and similar the defence he offered, for making the Israelites an image, at their desire. Let it not be forgotten, that the first recorded instance of departure from purity of worship, as established by the revelation to the Israelites, was forced on the priest by the people. The truth is, mankind have an innate propensity, as to other errors, so to that of endeavouring to serve God by proxy;— to commit to some distinct order of men the care of their religious concerns, in the same manner as they confide the care of their bodily health to the physician, and of their legal transactions to the lawyer; deeming it sufficient to follow implicitly their directions, without attempting themselves to become acquainted with the mysteries of medicine or of law.* Even thus are they willing and desirous that others should study, and should un *Nothing is more mischievous than an incor rect analogy that is constantly before us, and fathe apartment we inhabit, it produces, not an insulated or occasional error, but a deep-seated and habitual false impression. Now nothing can be more familiar than the seeming analogy between the several professions. Men may rather be said habitually to feel, than distinctly to maintain,) (indeed the falsehood would be easily detected in a formal assertion,) that as the soldier is in respect of military, and the sailor, in respect of naval affairs, and the physician, in respect of remedies for bodily disease, and the lawyer, in legal matters, so is the clergyman in respect of religion. miliar to our minds. Like a distorted mirror in derstand, the mysterious doctrines of re-] Our own name for the ministers of our ligion in their stead-should practise, in own religion, we naturally apply to the their stead, some more exalted kind of ministers (in whatever sense) of any piety and of virtue-and should offer pray- other religion; but the two words which ers and sacrifices on their behalf, both in have thus come to be translated "priest," their lifetime and after their death. For seem by no means to be used synonyman, except when unusually depraved, mously. The priests, both of the Jews retains enough of the image of his Maker, and of Pagan nations, constantly bear, to have a natural reverence for religion, in the sacred writers, the title of hiereus; and a desire that God should be wor- which title they never apply to any of the shipped; but, through the corruption of Christian ministers ordained by the his nature, his heart is (except when di- apostles. These are called by the title vinely purified) too much alienated from of episcopos, (literally superintendent; God to take delight in serving him. whence our English word "bishop;") Hence the disposition men have ever presbyteros, literally elder, and so renshown, to substitute the devotion of the dered by our translators, probably to priest for their own;-to leave the duties avoid the ambiguity just alluded to; of piety in his hands and to let him though the very word "presbyter" or serve God in their stead. This disposi-"priest," is but a corruption of that tion is not so much the consequence, as name: and-diaconos, literally "minisitself the origin, of priestcraft. The Ro- ter;" from which our word deacon is mish hierarchy did but take advantage but slightly altered. from time to time of this natural proThese titles, from their original vague pensity, by engrafting successively on its and general signification, became gradusystem such practices and points of doc- ally not only restricted in great measure trine as favoured it, and which were na- to Christian ministers, but also more preturally converted into a source of profit cisely distinguished from each other than and influence to the priesthood. Hence at first they had been; so as to be approthe gradual transformation of the Chris-priated respectively to the different orders tian minister-the presbyter-into the of those ministers, instead of being apsacrificing priest, the hiereus, (in Latin, plied indiscriminately. But no mention "sacerdos;" as the Romanists call theirs,) is made, by the sacred writers, of any of the Jewish and Pagan religions. This last is an error of which no inconsiderable remains are to be traced in the minds of Protestants, and on which, as it appears to me to be very important, I shall beg to be indulged in making some more particular observations. * such office being established by the apostles, as that of "priest" in the other sense, viz., hiereus ;-priest, in short, such as we find mentioned, under that name, in Scripture. Now this alone would surely be a strong presumption that they regarded the §. 3. That the English word PRIEST two offices as essentially distinct; for they is frequently employed for the rendering must have been perfectly familiar with of two different words in Greek, viz., the name; and had they intended to inIeges, and ПgBurgos, (from the latter of stitute the same office, or one very similar which our "presbyter" or "priest" is to it, we cannot but suppose they would derived,) is a circumstance of which no have employed that namet. The mere scholar can be ignorant indeed, but which circumstance that the Christian religion is not in general sufficiently attended to: is very different from all others, would, for it is not the same thing to be merely of itself, have been no reason against this; acquainted with the ambiguity of a word, for the difference is infinite between the and to be practically aware of it, and divinely-instituted religion of the Jews, watchful of the consequences connected with it. And it is, I conceive, of no small importance that this ambiguity should be carefully and frequently explained to those who are ignorant of the original language of the Old Testament. The passage which follows I have taken the liberty of extracting, in substance, and nearly in words, from a Discourse delivered before the University of Oxford, on the 5th of Nov. 1821, and published with the second edition of the Bampton Lectures. and the idolatrous superstitions of the heathen; and yet, from similarity of office, the word hiereus is applied by the sacred writers to the ministers of both religions. Acts xiv. 13. For it should never be forgotten, that Christianity is the offspring of Judaism, and that all the institutions and regulations of the Christian church emanated from men who had been brought up as Jews, and who would not have deviated from what they had been used to, on slight grounds. The difference of names, then, is in priests;" evidently meaning that they such a case as this a matter of no trifling were dedicated to Christ, and were bound importance, but would, even of itself, lead to offer up themselves as a living sacrifice us to infer a difference of things, and to devoted to him. For it is most imporconclude that the apostles regarded their tant to observe, that when the title of religion as having no priest at all, (in the priest is applied to Christians, it is apsense of Igs,) except Christ Jesus, of plied to all of them. whom indeed all the Levitical priests were but types. §. 4. It should next be considered what was the nature of that office which was exercised by the Jewish and by the Pagan priests; and which, according to the apostle, belonged, after the establishment of Christ's kingdom, to him alone. The priests of the Israelites were appointed by the Almighty himself, for the express purpose of offering sacrifices, in the name and on the behalf of the people; they alone were allowed to make oblations and burn incense before the Lord: it was through them that the people were to approach him, that their service might be acceptable: a very great portion of the Jewish religion consisted in the performance of certain ceremonial rights, most of which could only be duly performed by the priests, or through their mediation and assistance; they were to make intercession and atonement for of fenders; they, in short, were the mediators between God and man. It is true the Israelites were a sacred nation, and are called in Scripture a "kingdom of priests;" but it is plain that this is not to be understood as admitting them all indiscriminately to the exercise of the sacred offices just mentioned; since the most tremendous punishments were denounced (of whose infliction examples are recorded) against any who, not being of the seed of Aaron, presumed to take upon them to burn incense and make oblations. There may have been another intention also in calling the Israelites a kingdom of priests; viz., to point out that the mysteries of their religion (which among the Pagans were in general kept secret among the priests, or some select number whom these admitted to the knowledge of them) were revealed, as far as they were revealed at all, to the whole of this favoured nation. Many parts indeed of the Mosaic institutions were but imperfectly understood by any, as to their object and signification; but nothing seems to have been imparted to the priests which was withheld from the people. This very striking distinction is remarked by Josephus, who observes, that such religious mysteries as, among the heathen, were concealed by the priests, were imparted to the whole Jewish nation. That there was, however, a distinct order of priests, properly so called, set apart for a peculiar purpose, is undeniable and undisputed. Among the Pagans, whose institutions appear to have been, in great measure, corrupt imitations of those of the patriarchal religion, we find, as before, priests, who were principally, if not exclusively, the offerers of sacrifices, in behalf of the state and of individuals—intercessors— supplicating and making atonement for others-mediators between man and the object of his worship. This peculiarity of office was even carried to the length of an abuse: (I speak now of the abuses introduced into But it was requisite to impress on the the institutions of the Pagans, in contraminds of the Israelites that they were not distinction to the absurdities of their to entertain the notion (which appears to faith:) there seems to have been as (has have been not uncommon among the hea- been already hinted) a strong tendency then) that religion was the exclusive con- to regard all religion as exclusively the cern of the priests: they, on the contrary, concern of the priests;-that they were were required to worship God them- to be the sole depositaries of the mysselves to conform to his ordinances-teries of things sacred;-that a high deto keep themselves pure from all defile- gree of holiness of life and devotion were ment, moral or ceremonial-and to prac- required of them alone;—that they were tise all their duties out of reverence to to be religious, as it were, instead of the God, their Lawgiver and King; they were, people;-and that men had only to show in short, to be priests in piety of heart true respect to the priests, and leave to and holiness of life. And in the same them the service of the Deity; just as sense Peter calls Christians "a royal they commit the defence of the state to priesthood;" and John, in the Apoca- soldiers, and the cure of their diseases lypse, speaks of them as "kings and to physicians. Against such notions (as VICARIOUS RELIGION. was before remarked) the Israelites were studiously, and not without reason, cautioned. The office of priest, then, in that sense of the word which I am now considering, viz., as equivalent to hiereus, being such as has been described, it follows that, in in our religion, the only priest, in that sense, is Jesus Christ himself; to whom consequently, and to whom alone, under the Gospel, the title is applied by the inspired writers. He alone has offered up an atoning sacrifice for us, even the sacrifice of his own blood; he "ever liveth to make intercession for us;" he is the "one Mediator between God and man;" "through him we have access to the Father;" and "no man cometh unto the Father but by him." 33 improvement of the people, among the ancients, seems to have been considered as the proper care of the legislator, whose laws and systems of public education generally had this object in view. To these, and to the public disputations of philosophers, but by no means to the priests of their religion, they appear to have looked for instruction in their duty. That the Christian ministry, on the contrary, were appointed, in great measure, if not principally, for the express purpose of giving religious instruction and admonition, is clearly proved both by the practice of the apostles themselves, and by Paul's directions to Timothy and to Titus. Another, and that a peculiar and exclu§. 5. As for the ministers whom he, sive office of the Christian ministers, at and his apostles, and their successors, least according to the practice of most appointed, they are completely distinct churches, is the administration of the from priests in the former sense, in office, sacraments of baptism and the Lord's as well as in name. Of this office, one supper. But this administration does not principal part is that it belongs to them at all assimilate the Christian priesthood (not exclusively indeed, but principally to the Pagan or the Jewish. The former and especially) to preach the Gospel-to of these rites is, in the first place, an admaintain order and decency in their reli- mission into the visible church; and gious assemblies, and Christian discipline, therefore very suitably received at the generally to instruct, exhort, admonish, hands of those whose especial business is and spiritually govern, Christ's flock. to instruct and examine those who are His command was, to "go and teach all candidates for baptism, as adults, or who nations ;"-to 66 preach the Gospel to have been baptized in their infancy; and every creature" and these Christian in the second place, it is an admission to ministers are called in the Epistle to the a participation in the gifts of the Spirit; Hebrews," those that bear rule over them, without which the church itself, and the and watch for their souls, as they that formal admission into it, would be an must give an account." Now it is worthy empty mockery. The treasury, as it were, of remark, that the office I am at present of divine grace is then thrown open, to speaking of made no part of the especial which we may resort when a sufficient duties of a priest, in the other sense, such maturity of years enables us to understand as those of the Jews, and of the Pagans. our wants, and we are inclined to apply Among the former, it was not so much for their relief. It is not, let it be obthe family of Aaron, as the whole tribe served, through the mediation of an of Levi, that seem to have been set aside earthly priest that we are admitted to offer for the purpose of teaching the Law: and our supplications before God's mercy-seat; even to these it was so far from being in we are authorized, by virtue of this sacred any degree confined, that persons of any rite, to appear, as it were, in his presence, tribe might teach publicly in the syna- ourselves, needing no intercessor with gogues on the Sabbath day; as was done the Father, but his son Jesus Christ, both by our Lord himself, who was of the God and man. "Having therefore," says tribe of Judah; and by Paul, of the tribe Paul, "boldness to enter into the holiest of Benjamin, without any objection being by the blood of Jesus, by a new and raised: whereas an intrusion into the living way, which he hath consecrated priest's office would have been vehe- for us, and having a High Priest over mently resented. the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." And as for the Pagan priests, their business was rather to conceal, than to explain, the mysteries of their religion; -to keep the people in darkness, than to enlighten them. Accordingly, the moral The sacrament of the Lord's supper, |