526 The Gof pel of the Confecrationof the Pries. falonians, t Theft: 5. 23. the very God ofPeace, fan&ifyyou wholly, and t pray that your whole Spirit, and Soul, and Body be preferved blarnelefs uto the conning of our Lord :Nils Chri/I. There Ihould be in fpiritual Priefts a fanecified Ear to abhor corrupt Communication, and to receive readi- ly holy and fpiritual lnftruEtions ; the Hand alto Ihould be fan .tified for acing, and the Foot for walking in theways of God. It may further intimate, that the external Application of a Sacra- mental Sign to fume principal Part or Parts of the Body, is fignificative enough of univerfal Cleanfing, Vid. Engl. Annot. in lor, 4. Mofes was to fill the Hand of the Priefts with force parts of the Sacrifices, Verf..23. 24, 25. This interprets and lets you fee the reafon of that Expreffion, why Confecration is ( in the Hebrew ) called fil- ling of the Hand, Lev. 7. 37. fo Ex)d. z8.4.I. and here & p. 29. ver. 9. It is becaufe fomeparts of the Sacrifices wereput into his Hinds at his Confecration, as a pledge or fymbol of putting fuch a Bufnefs, and in- trufting fuck a Work in his Hands. No Man can or ought to under- take this or any other Trull or Office, till the Lord fill his Hand with it, and commit the Work and Bulinefs to his Truft. AMan can take unto bimfelf nothing, except it be given him from Heaven, John 3.27. they are the Words of fohn the Baptift, and he faith of Chrift, that the Father Ioveth the Son, and bath given all Things into his Hand, Verf. 35. Now the Ufe of all . thefe Rites of Confecration lies in fuch things as thefe. ï. They were an external Sign and Reprefentation of the Dignity of the Office; therefore there were fo many folemn and facred Ceremonies in fetting them apart thereunto : And yet thefe Priefts were but fha- dows of Jefus Chrift, our great and trueHigh Prieft, whofe Office is of incomparably more furpaffing Excellency and Dignity, fie I Cor. 3. 7,8,9, 10, 11. z. All thefe Rites of Confecration had this Ufe to the Priefts them- ,felves, to be Monitors or Remembrances to them, how pure and holy to the Lord they ought to be. And the like Inftru&ion they hold out to Believers, who all are made fpiritual Priefts unto God, that they ought to be holy to the Lord. 3. From the People they befpeak Reverence and Regard to the Prieft, and that for their Works fake, they having fuch Honour and Dignity put upon them in fuch a folemn Confecration to their Office. Thus the Apftle in the New Teftament chargeth the Yheffalonians, that they Ihould know them that laboured among them, that were over them in the Lord, and admonifhed them, and to efteem them very highly in Love for their Wo-ks Me, I Then: 5. I z, 13.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=