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quotes Justin Martyr in his Dialogue with Trypho," after mentioning Christ as our all-sufficient High Priest, as insisting, that in consequence of our Christian Vocation, we, his Disciples, not the Pastors exclusively, are God's true sacerdotal family." Page 312.

When we wish to ascertain the opinion of an author on any given subject, we seek it, it is presumed, not in an accidental allegorical expression that may occur in his writings, but in those plain and repeated passages, which speak decidedly to the point under consideration; if any such are to be found. Let the Apologist's opinion on the subject before us be fairly ascertained by this rule of judgement, and the Professor shall be at full liberty to make the most of his authority.

Justin Martyr, in his first apology, after having related our Saviour's institution of the Sacrament of His Supper, when he commanded his Apostles to take Bread, and having given thanks, to say, "This is my Body," &c. and likewise the Cup, saying, “This is my Blood," &c. observes to the Gentiles, that the wicked Dæmons had

had, by way of imitation, commanded the same to be done in the Sacraments of Mithra. "For, (saith he) you either know, or may know for certain, that a loaf and a cup of water, with a form of words, was used in the solemn sacrifices for him, who was initiated in that Religion;" meaning, as he had shewn, that the holy Eucharist was administered immediately on the baptism, or initiation of men into the Christian Religion: his parallel therefore between the two mysteries, and initiation implies; that the Eucharistical Bread and Wine was TEλET, a solemn material sacrifice in the opinion of Christians, as the other diabolical Bread and Water was in the mysteries of Mithra; and consequently that the Ministers of Baptism and the holy Eucharist in the Christian Church, were as proper Priests, as the Priests of Mithra, or the Sun, were by his worshippers esteemed to be.

*

To the same subject of the Christian Priesthood, Justin Martyr speaks thus

* Suidas. ΤΕΛΕΤΗ. Θυσια μυςηριώδης, ἡ μεγίση, καὶ τιμιωτέρα. -Sacrificium Mysteriorum, plenum, maximum, honoratissimum.

plainly

plainly in his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew.-Page 259.-" The meat offering of fine flour, which was appointed to be offered for those who were cleansed from the leprosy, was a Type of the Eucharistical Bread, which Jesus Christ our Lord commanded to be offered in remembrance of his Passion; which he suffered for those, whose souls are purged from all sins; &c. and therefore God by Malachi, who was one of the Twelve Prophets, speaks of the sacrifices which you then offered, thus: " I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of Hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hands; for from the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, my Name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be 'offered unto my Name; and a pure offering; for my Name shall be great among the Heathens, saith the Lord, but you have profaned it. But of the sacrifice of the Gentiles offered up by us in every place, that is to say, of the Bread of the Eucharist, and Cup of the Eucharist, he then spoke before - hand, saying, that we glorified his Name, but you profaned it:"-Plainly signifying, that the sacrifice

sacrifice of the Jewish Temple should cease, and the pure sacrifice of the Christian altar be introduced in its place; and, consequently, that the priests under the Evangelical as under the Jewish dispensation, had an office appropriated to them. "Our Saviour, and all priests from him, (says Eusebius, h. p. 16. Ap. 1. 6.) celebrate a spiritual sacrifice in bread and wine."

From these premisses it appears, that the Professor would give his Disciples to understand, on the authority of a single allegorical expression from Justin Martyr, that the general opinion of the earliest Fathers was favourable to the conclusion he had drawn, respecting the non-existence of the Priesthood, as a peculiar office under the Evangelical Dispensation; at the same time that there are plain and circumstantial passages to be produced from the sume writer, which necessarily lead the reader to the direct opposite conclusion.

By Divines of the Scotch Kirk, in whose scale of judgement the authority of their learned Professor may weigh heavy, his mode of reasoning on this occasion may

be

be taken on trust, and considered as sterling. But Divines of the Church of England will, I trust, examine this subject for themselves and when they do, they will be convinced that their opinion of the sentiments of the early Fathers of the Church is not to be taken from the pages of Dr. Campbell's Ecclesiastical History: and perhaps they may moreover conclude, that the cause must in itself be very weak, for the support of which an able advocate condescends to employ such inconclusive argument.

Had the Professor discarded all evidence that was to be drawn from the early Fathers of the Church, we should only have said, that he had a right to place his subject on what ground he thought proper, But if he does appeal to their authority, we have a right to require, that these Fathers should be allowed to speak fairly for themselves.

There is still one observation on the Doctor's work which I feel much disinclined to make: it respects the supercilious. contempt with which the Doctor, generally speaking, appears to treat those who entertain opinions different from his own.

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