The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-04-21

| fathers, nor commaI16ed them in the
day brought them cat of the land of
Egypt concerning burnt offerings or
sacrifices: But this ling command
ed them, obey my }oice and I will be
your God, and ye sh&ll be my people,.
Is not this proof that Jeremiah did not
consider the Aaronieal sacri6cial sys-
tenn the index point1ng to the value
and power of the work of Christ His
conception and the Hebrews writer
correspond. Says tle Psalmist, "Will
eat the flesh of htIlls or drink the
blood of goats; offer INTO God thanks
giving and pay thy VOWS. Thou de-
sirest mercy and not Sacrifice and the
knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings" Does nst this imply they
were losing the true knowledge of God
through their many #&crifces and get
ting to think that Cd was altogether
such a one as thems ves'' FPS. |. 2l)"
to be pacified and leased with sacri-
fees ? Isaiah and all the prophets
speak to the same Eject. The fact
seems to be this: He prophets with
their profounder mFal and spiritual
thought had penetrai IA into the essence
of that which constf ted the amazing
value of the life am sufferings of the
Redeemer. They h&d seen the mis-
chievous effects OF De sacrificial sys-
tenn upon the people n educating them
to rely upon the git brought to the
altar as substitut4< and remission of
penalty for wrong dung.
But how shall va account for the
prevalence Of the sac &icial idea in the
so-called Christian arch? The reply
is, it was not SO frona he beginning and
all down the ages thee has been pro-
test against it as a vdlation of justice
and loading of nod who is love,
with odium. The hlk1ory of a secular
lied church shows Nnite clearly how
the idea got foot-hold Priest and sac
rifice are associated 6rms. They ex-
ist together in the hebrew sacrificial |
system. They exist together in all |
the pagan religi0n1 of the ancient |
world. The Judaiz party in the
early church were N jealous for the
law Of Moses and II ~ bitter against
Paul for teaching th Hentiles to for
sake Moses. The 6uline element |
which largely pred ninated in the
early church seems DE quite, if not
altogether free from he priestly idea.
How simple and f from priestly
OF the 3 posfles wa chu1sh Ut first.
Upon the persecution against it at Jer-
usalem the Christians "Were all scat
tered abroad and went everywhere
preaching the word,'' without license,
without ordination, without Episcopal
conservation. AS far as the record goes
they must have done as efficient work
as most of the apostles in carrying the
Gospel throughout the Roman empire.
Paul heard voice from Macedonia
"come over and help us, and no doubt
the first church at Rome was organized
by what are now termed ''laymen,"
word which prelaticalism has con-
descendingly given to those not be-
longing to ''the Glass;" the priestly idea.
In no sense but the sense that all
Christians were priests is the class
recognized in the New Testament.
Peter writing to Christians in general,
reminds them, "That they were royal
a peculiar people to show
forth the praises Of him who had called
them out of darkness into his marvel
GUS light. Il Pet. ii. 9.)->The revelator
expresses the same idea, "And hath
made us kings and priests unto Cod"
The apostles, though endowed with
unique functions, not successional,
never claimed to be priests in the ritual
sense. The term is never applied to a
pastor of a church. But ritualism was
busy before the close of the second
century, for legend reports that John,
the apostle, was a priest wearing the
high priestly mitre. (Eusebius.) Am
bilious and power-loving bishops began
to assume some Of the functions of an
Aaronic priesthood, and when the
unhOly alliance of Christianity with
the empire took place and Constantine
professed to be Christian, it was
found to be the interest of the pagan
priests, officials and people to join the
state religion. 1t was seen to be
polite for the pagan priest when he ac-
cepted the new faith, to baptize as
much of the old cult as was seemly
and widen as m uch as possible the dis
tance between him who presided at the
altar and the people. When Gregory,
the Great, commissioned st. Augustine
to go to England and convert British
pagans, he strongly advised him to be
very prudent in dealing with them;
make the change of faith so far as cere-
mony went very gradual, so as not to
wound the feelings of the people.
Pagans knew the altar stood for some-
thing. 1t meant a priest to officiate.
1t meant sacrifice. The simple supper
instituted nv Christ becama the aaeri