, 1872-12-13
THE CHRISTIAN PRIESTHOOD.
Christ the First Priest and the
Founder Of the Order,
Lecture by Rev. DR.. NIcG1ynn,
of St. Stephens Church,
New York.


New York.
The Rev. Dr.. McGlynn, OF New York, lectured
on "The Christian Priesthood" in st. Patrick's
Catholic Church, corner of Deeplaines and Mon
roe streets, On Wednesday evening last, before
the Union Catholic Library Association. There
WAS large attendance. Mrs. Mcclure, Of the
st. Mary's choir, and Mrs. Hall and Mr. Wilson
Of st. Pat1icks, entertained the audience for
short time with some most excellent music.
The reverend gentleman said he would like to
show that Christ was Priest and that the
Priesthood embodied in His sacred person Was
left by Him to His Church. Christ Was
Priest. It was foretold that he should be q
committed than it WAS foretold that the
fault should be repaired in the person
OF Christ In the fulness Of time God offered q
sacrifice for sin in His own person. He acted in
the double capacity Of priest and victim. Tho
very enmity OF Satan was the occasion Of mans
salvation. AL the sacrifices Of the Jewish law
pointed to the ultimate sacrifice OF Christ. It
was foreshadowed that Christ was to be the
priest Of the Christian affairs. '.Thou art 9
priest forever after the order OF Melchisedec,"
referred to Christ The idea OF priest WAS cor
relative with and inseparable from the idea Of
sacrifice. The denominations that had given up
the use Of the altar had also allowed the
word priest to become obsolete, SO far as thoy
were concerned. Christ WAS not only to be q
priest by offering himself bloody sacrifice. but
Was also to make an unb1oody sacrifice. The
night before his death Christ offered himself
clean offering, and the table OF the last supper
Was the first Christian altar. The carnal-minded
Jews rejected Him and His sacrifice. and the
Apostles, poor fishermen raised up by Himself,
accepted Him, and eat His flesh and drank
His and tn S on H IT % t
and in countless places.
Christ ordained the Apostles as the first Chris
tian priests, after the order OF Alelchisedec. He
admonished them that the bread and vine were
Gods people to partake Of the heavenly food,
and to behold the "Lamb OF God which taketh
away the sin Of the world" Christ sent out His
Church to disseminate His doctrine to all peo--
continue to offer sacrifice? Until the end Of
time, when the last trump shall sound, it would
be heard BY the last Christian priest administer
ing the holy sacrament to the last Christian
ment. He hoped the day would soon approach
when the Catholic Church should conquer the
world, and it's temples circle the globe.
Christ came to teach men and to raise them
up. Above all things, How teacher, and he
sent His Apostles out into the world to teach all
nations to observe what He had commanded.
They were to teach something higher than
Grecian philosophy or Roman jurisprudence.
That was the mission Of the Catholic Church,
and that WAS why the Christian altar wherever
raised was accompanied by the chair Of truth.
The priests were the ambassadors OF Christ.
They we're to keep teaching in spite Of al the
powers Of earth and hell even unto the end
Christ wrought miracles to prove that the Son
Of Man had power on earth to forgive sins.
God alone had power to forgive sins. God
wrought miracles in the person Of His Son, to
| prove that the Son and the Father we're one.
He impaired to His priests the same power to
nv r4r 4tarr mod hA
| ministers of perdon and mercy to their penitent
| brethren. They were to erect in the Christian
Church the tribunal Of mercy, "Whose sins SO
| forgive they are forgiven, whose sins ye retain
Not far from the chair Of truth by tho altar His
| priests were to erect the tribunal Of mercy.
| Priests were the channels and instruments Of
| Christ's mercy to their brethren. Christ remained
| with His church on Christian altars, he taught
from the chair Of Truth, and presided in the
tribunal of Mercy. In this nation Christ should
have faithful ministers to teach His truth. The
| youngest priest was q presbyter Of tho Church,
| and the Oldest man called him father, for he
represented the Father in Heaven.
| Christ loved humanity. he introduced Chrla-
tian charity into the world independent Of race
and color. He WAS the benefactor OF the poor
Tho Ch1isfian priesthood should follow the ex.
| pie OF the Great Priest. The priests taught the
cruel Roman world the sublime lesson OF Chris
tim charity. The priesthood taught the
| ItOulA11B LuGIa NAs h heLLcI uhd LUZ Liz
halt, the lame, and the blind thar
to set i'd Of them as aoor
that persons incomplete and imperfect should
be put out Of the world. Christ came and taught
the true dignity Of man, and that oil we're On
titled to charity. That lesson the Church
taught and practiced, and would continue to Dc
go. The Church taught man the true worth ane
dignity Of woman, and that she WAS not simply
the instrument Of his lust. The priest taught
man to respect. woman. In every Christian
land, ho would not say every Catholic
land only, woman occupied q higher
position than ever. Let Christian women
therefore, requite the benefits. Tho ranks O
the Christian priesthood should be recruited from
the ranks Of men. Tho Christian mother coult
offer her son to the holy ministry and thus ge
nearer to the altar herself. They should choos
from their children their best and brightest Sons
those with the largest heads and the best shaped
those who would understand the ways OF tn
world and make it subservient to the Church,
those with the most humane hearts and the no
b1ost impulses. It WAS Christian mothers Eh
made Christian priests.