To the Editor of the Freethinking Christians' Magazine. WHI SIR, HEN Christianity was first presented to the world in the association of her converts, her doctrines appeared so plain, and her precepts so lovely, that however much opposition was at times shewn to her precepts, the generality of those who beheld could not but admire her, and multitudes became obedient to the faith. In those days Christians' were denominated, "A chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation;" and they were made such for the purpose of shewing forth his praises who called them out of darkness into his marvellous light. 1 Pet. ii. 9. Had things been allowed to remain in this their original form, Christianity would at this day have been so clear and so simple, that the most ignorant must have ad mired, the meanest capacity have easily comprehended it.. And such, indeed, it is as represented in the scriptures; but a very different thing according to those who make it their trade to teach it. At this distance of time it is difficult to say what were the precise circumstances which led to the introduction of what is now termed the priesthood into Christianity. But from the nature of the thing, and the effects it has produced, it is clear that a love of power was one, and, perhaps, the principal cause that produced this Under the former dispensation, system of abomination. the priests offered the sacrifices of the people, and also taught them the knowledge of God: with that state of things the order of the priesthood ended; and under the New Testament dispensation the whole body of believers, not the teachers to the exclusion of the taught, are consi dered as the priests of God. By their associating together; by their exhorting and edifying one another; and holding priests, forth the truth in their whole deportment, they, as offer to God a sacrifice acceptable, and well-pleasing; they he knowledge of their Maker, by shewing ; and thus, from them, the word, or ounds out to the surrounding rest teach the forth know they are like a city set on a hill, and their light cannot be hid. Even before the apostles were taken away by death, the man of sin had begun to work, and soon afterwards he almost wholly destroyed the fair face of Christianity. According to historians, a new race arose towards the end of the second century who new modelled the cause. Hitherto the churches had been edified by the plain, though sound, exhortations of the brethren; men possessing the qualifications mentioned by the apostles had been their bishops and deacons; and a few words spoken with understanding were not despised. But this soon became unfashionable and vanished away. Teaching no longer consisted in provoking each other to love and to the performance of every good work, but in delivering long and unintelligible discourses; and those who displayed the most ingenuity, and could most readily puzzle the subject, and perplex their hearers, were esteemed the best teachers, and procured the greatest share of approbation. One departure from simplicity paved the way for another, and at last we find an academy erected for the express design of educating youths as teachers in the churches. The first of these is said to have been in Alexandria in Egypt, and to have been conducted by one Pantenus. Here was an institution for the purpose of teaching men to quibble. Formerly the truths of Christianity were considered so plain as that he who ran might read them: but now, in order to read them, it became necessary, not only to stop, but to set down, and devote a number of years to the study of them. After things had once assumed this new form; when men began to leave the common business of life, and to retire within the walls of a divinity school, they seem to have employed themselves in raising difficulties merely for the purpose of combatting them; subtile and useless questions were started; differences, and semi-differences were made between points of doctrine; hair breadth distinctions were insisted on in matters of faith. Thus amply furnished, they proceeded to wrangling and dispute; disordering their own imaginations, and vitiating the taste, and darkening the understandings of those whom they professed to teach. The churches having now lost all relish for their old mode of teaching, it became necessary that they should have it regularly administered under another form. This was a providential circumstance for the divinity schools in question, which had now become crowded with finished divines. In the schools they could not al ways remain, besides that they had now become properly qualified for wrangling; like bottles filled with new wine, they were ready to burst, unless a speedy vent were given to their frothy disputations; they had become too idle to work, and too vain to be taught; in a word, they were just fit persons for assuming authority over men's consciences, and with these, as teachers, the churches were accordingly supplied. The effects of their teaching soon appeared. Having obtained a little smatering in philosophy, falsely so called, they could start doubts and difficulties, where nothing of the kind had before existed; they perplexed the simplest subjects, and effectually tickled the itching ears of the people, who were well pleased to pay them for the pains they took to lead their consciences and understandings into captivity. The churches now became filled with controversy, and the priests in consequence contrived to call councils of their own order to fix, as they said, the sense of scripture. The people received their decisions, implicitly indeed they could do no other than receive them in this way; for if it was in any way necessary that such councils should be called, it must have been in consequence of the people allowing themselves unable to judge for themselves; and, if they had been in the first instance unable to determine what was or was not truth, as it existed in the simple records of Christianity, they were certainly less so after it had run through the polluted channel of sophisticated and dogma. tical dispute. Let modern churches consider this; and, let then see in this the real origin of all synods and associations of priests. Having thus obtained the dominion over the consciences of the people, they availed themselves of every means in their power to preserve and extend their authority. They affected much gravity in their appearance; assumed certain kinds of dress; taught, like the philosophers, in long robes; and affixed to their names titles descriptive of certain qualities, which, in contradistinction from other men, they pretended to possess. They lived for the most part retired; confined the teaching of the churches to their own incon gruous harangues; and, as is always the case where investigation might be dangerous, the people were taught to keep at all due distance from their reverences. Thus arose the priesthood ;-and the sacred order has been preserved by similiar means throughout succeeding ages; even now it appears holding the same place in the church, differing only in form, and in some places, in degree, from its original constitution. But, before pronouncing the priesthood to be a useless race, and only calculated to injure the cause they profess let us hear their own defence. to serve, The sum of their arguments in their own defence is, that under the old dispensation priests were appointed by God to teach the people; and that, as under the new dispensa tion the church is to be taught, as well as under the old, there must consequently be teachers; and as the priests under the law were supported by the people, so must the teachers be under the present dispensation. This argument is altogether without foundation. The priests under the law were, it is true, appointed by God, but by him also was an end put to their acting in that character; and men might as well argue that God has not sent the Messiah into the world, because, in the time of Moses, he had not sent him, as argue for the continuance of the priestly office, because by Moses that office was created and instituted. The church is the temple of God, and believers are his priests, from the highest to the lowest of them; there is no distinction in this respect among them. And even if a man should be dumb, or, able to speak but five words with the understanding, yet if he be a Christian, he is a priest, according to the sense of the word in the New Testament, and capable of offering to God a proper and an acceptable sacrifice. The church must evidently be best taught when all its members consider themselves bound to act as such; when they excite each other to love and to good works; they then shew forth his praise, who called them from darkness into his marvellous light. These are priests very dif ferent from those who sell, to the highest bidder, their independence, delivering themselves up to be tools of religious faction, to teach, and defend for hire, the dogmas of a sect. But the priest urges his usefulness in turning the attention of the careless to the things of eternity. The plea of usefulness has operated as a quietus to the consciences of many, who have openly avowed their belief of the impropriety of countenancing the corruptions of Christianity. They ought at once to plead for the propriety of the abominations of the mother of harlots; for while they take shelter under the roof of any of her daughters, and receive their pay, they are as effectually opposing Christianity, and helping antichrist, as if they worshipped at the shrine of the |
