then lets us know that his Defcent was alfo of the first Rank, or Order of Priefts, and then in the last place faith, that he was of the Royal Afmonean Family, by the Mother's fide. I hope, Sir, you'll allow the Chriftian Priesthood, and Priests to be at leaft, as honourable, as the Jewish. I am fure they are Minifters of a better Covenant, and a more perfect, and excellent Religion, and as nearly related to the Father, and his Son the Sa Xór Agxised's, as Philo calls him, as the Jewish Priests were, and perform as holy Miniftrations under the New Law, as they did under the Old.

And how great, and honourable the Priesthood was among the Heathens many have obferved, particulary a late Author, whose words I fhall tranfcribe for your ufe.

On this account the Priefts were honoured with the next places to their Kings, and chief Magiftrates; and in many places wore the fame Habit. In moft of the Gracian Cities, and particularly at Athens, as we are informed by Plato, and feveral others, the Care of Divine Worship was committed to the chief Magiftrates, who were often confecrated to the Pricftbood. Thus Anius in Virgil, was King of Delos; and Priest of Apollo.

Rex Anius, Rex idem hominum, Phabique Sacerdos.

He obferves out of Clemens Alexandrinus, that in Egypt the Kings were all Priefts, and if any one, who was not at the Royal Family ufurped the Kingdom, he was obliged to be confecrated to the Priesthood, before he was permitted to govern, and we are affured by Plutarch, that the Dignity of Priefs was

Dr. Potter his Archeologia Graca, or Antiquities of Greece, Book II. Ch. III. See alfo Sir John Hayward of Supremacy in Affairs of Religion, p. 22, &c.

Quest. Roman. fub finem.

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equal to that of Kings. At Sparta the Kings immediately after their Promotion took upon them the two Priesthoods of the Heavenly, and Lacedæmonian Jupiter, which was rather effeemed an Acceffion to their Honour, than any Diminution from it; with more to the fame purpofe. So Grotius in Genefis cap. xv. v. 18. [Erat enim Sacerdos Dei Altiffimi.]

Rex Anius, Rex idem hominum Phæbique Sacerdos. Virgil III. Æneid.

Ubi Servius, fane Majorum erat confuetudo, ut Rex etiam effet Sacerdos, vel Pontifex. Hinc domus, in qua pontifex habitabat Regia dicebatur, docente eodem Servio ad Eneid. 8. Qui & fepe notat à Vir gilio omnia jura Sacerdotalia tribui Enea.

II. I have fet these things before you, Dear Sir, to raife your Conceptions to the full and juft Height of the Sacerdotal Dignity,and of that preeminent Power, and Authority, which the Spiritual Governors, and Magiftrates have over their Spiritual Subjects in the Kingdom of Chrift. I thought it my Duty to speak of them in fuch a Style, and fuch Expreffions as I conceiv'd was fitteft for my purpofe in framing thofe Propofitions in my former Letter, and ufeful at all times to help Chriftian Men to the rightApprehenfions of that Spiritual Superiority, to which God hath made them fubject without Diftinction; and that being once rightly apprehended to give them thereby a true Notion of the Independent Nature of the Church, and its real Diftinction, as a Society from the State. This indeed by a Concurrence of unhappy Causes, among which I reckon the great Liberty of writing againft the Church, is become a hard and almoft unintelligible Doctrine to many of the Church of England; tho' it is a very familiar Notion, and clearly understood not only by the moft ignorant of the Clergy, and Laity of the Church of Rome,

Rome, but by the Miniftry and People among Dif fenters of all forts, whofe Practice I know it is to speak with Contempt of the Church of England, for being, as they conceive and object, fo dependent upon the State, and against the Clergy, whom they love to blame without Diftinction, for fubjecting the Rights, and Authority of the Kingdom of Chrift to the Kings, and Kingdoms of the World. One of the Caufes why the Doctrine of the Churches being a Society diftinct from the State, and independent of it, is fo little known, and understood among us, is, and hath been the great Modefty of many of the Clergy, who have forborn to preach it, left they fhould feem thereby to preach up themfelves. Others of them have forborn to preach it, purely becaufe they did not underftand it, for employing themselves in the Study of other forts of Knowledge, they have too much neglected this, which was more neceffary for them to know. Others of them, who ftudied it, and made themselves Mafters of it, have been filent, because they had little, or no Provocation for many Years to preach it. Others again, when there hath been occafion enough to preach it, have for fear of offending either been wholly filent, or fhew'd it only by half Lights. And fome, Sir, have wrote of it in fuch a manner, as is hard to tell whether they wrote for, or against it. This, Sir, was your own Expreffion to me, when we difcourfed laft together on this Melancholy Subject, before the good Lady. Then I put you in Mind of the Notions, and Doctrines, which fome of the Gentlemen of your Robe have taught of the King's Supremacy, which you allowed to be another Caufe, why the Doctrine of the Churches Independency, as a Society really distinct from the State, was fo great a Stranger in our Ifrael; but becaufe we then fully difcourfed that Point together, I fhall

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here

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here fay nothing more of it, than that Men, who have imbibed thofe later Notions, and Doctrines from thefe Writers, will be more apt to think the Expreffions, in which I call Bifhops Princes, and their Dioceses Principalities to be Novel, and Uncouth, tho' in Truth they are not. On the contrary, Sir, as they are very ancient, fo are they the common Language of ancient Christianity, as you may fee by the following Authorities. St. Paul calls them, I Theff. v. 12.15aμives v nugio, Prefidents, Prefects, Rulers, or Governours in the Lord, and weges@res weeofvleess, ruling, or governing Pres byters. So in Juftin Martyr they are frequently called wees@res, Prefidents, and by Gregory Nyffen, πνευματικοί προεςώτες, Spiritual Prefidents, and by St. Bafil in Pfal. xxviii, dwoins To xers TegeSarns, Præfects, or Prefidents of the Flock of Chrift. So St. Cyprian, Epift. lix. ad Cornelium, calls the Bishop Ecclefie prapofitum, and Præpofitum (Chrifti) fervum, and the Bithops thofe, qui in Ecclefiæ Catholica fratribus præfunt. So in Epift. Ixix. Qui fe Schifmaticis contra præpofitos, & Sacerdotes mifcuerint. Epift. Ixxiii. Unde intelligimus non nifi in Ecclefia præpofitis licere baptizare. St. Paul in Hebr. xiii. 7, 17, 24. calls the Bifhops less, a Word ufed to fet forth our Lord's Spiritual Dominion, Matth. ii. 6. cn of 28 endosper, for out of thee fhall come a Governour, or Prince, who Shall rule my People Ifrael. It is alfo ufed of the Apoftles to whom Chrift committed all his Power,

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Пessauer, wesses, of the fame fignification with aegsaτns, præfectus, prafes, qui alicui rei praeft, eamque adminiftrat, all from welca antefto, prafum, præfectus fum. See Budai Commentar. pag. 487. and Stephani Thefaur. in wegiσams, wegsaria, wesains. The Words, by which Greg. Nazianzen expreffeth himself, in his firft Apologetical Oration, when he fpeaks of Bishops, and the Epifcopal Office.

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and Administration of his Kingdom; Luke xxii. 25. But ye shall not be fo, but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger, néμf, and he that is Chief, or Prince, as he that doth ferve. Clemens Romanus ufeth the fame Word to diftinguish the Apostles, and their Apoftolick Succeffors, from Presbyters in the Church of Corinth, §. 1. You did all things without refpect of Perfons, you walk'd in the Laws of God, being fubject [Tois napfors 1 Γεμβρίοις uw] to your Chief Governors, or Princes, and gi ving due Honour [To wap vμiv weesCullegis, to the ὑμῖν πρεσβυτέροις, Presbyters among you. He ufeth the fame Word for the Succeffors of the Apoftles in the Government of that Church, §. 21. As Origen alfo doth contra Celfum, Lib. VIII. p. 428, where fpeaking of Bifhops, as Archons of the Church, he faith, aval καίως ἅμα και δικαίως ἡ τέμλνοι, και πάντων πεφροντικό Πες our Rulers, who are made fo by Conftraint, as well as for Merit, have the Care of all; of thofe within, that they may live better, and better every Day; and of thofe without, that they may bring them to Knowledge of true Piety, and Religion in Words, and Works, and to the worship of the true God and be united to God, who is Lord over all, by his Son God the Word," the Wifdom, the Truth, and the Fuftice, who unites all Converts to him, who in all things live according to the divine Will. I have obferved this, becaufe the Word uf, like the Hebrew Cohen, hath fo much Greatnefs, and Excellency of Power in its Signification; for 'Huovia the Noun, fignifies Empire, both in facred and prophane Writers, as Luke iii. 1. + Γεμονίας τιβερίς Καίσαρα, in the fifteenth Year of the Reign, or Empire of Tiberius Cafar.

'Hfé, fignifies as 'Hfepov. See the ufe of the Word in the Civil Signification, by prophane Authors in fiqua, &μas, Γεμῶν, ἐξεμονία, in Stephani Thefaur. N 4

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