The Worcester spy., 1898-12-19

having composed the body of that peO-
pie of twelve tribes, he chose the par
ticular tribe of Levi as the most holy
to draw from thence the ministers of
His tabernacle, saying to them BE ye
holy, because /, the Lord your God, am
holy l might draw from hence a just
inference to convince you that those
who exercise the functions of the
Christian Standardization for
midable to the very angels--contract
obligations to be pure and holy; for if
in the Mosaic law which was only the
foreshadoWing of the law of grace, such
sanctity and purity were required by
Almighty God, what sanctity and pur-
ity must not be necessary in the evan
gelical law But the types and figures
of the old law having passed away, and
given place to the truth and the real
itN and Jesus Christ our high priest
according to the order of Melchisedech
having established a new priesthood
founded on no vain genealogy or carnal
succession like that of the Mosaic law
but on the eternal nativity and glorious
life of himself risen from the dead. let
us seek in the sanctity of the functions
OF the Christian priesthood, the gran
deur of the mission and the necessity
they are under to be holy who exercise
it. Then what is the true mission of
the priest Of Jesus Christ? 1t is faith
full dispensation of all the treasures Of
the wisdom of the knowledge and of the
charity of God. 1t is a continual eXer-
else of His mercy and Justice the min
istry of His spiritual power, the dis
pensation of His word and of His sac
red mysteries For the apostles were
clothed with the powers of Jesus Christ
and the priests, their successors. are
clothed with the same power. True it
is that many in this our day of boasted
progress and advanced enlightenment
deny all spiritual power of the priest.
1t is easy to understand how those who
reject all revelation should deny all
spiritual power to the priest. But how
protesting Christians, admitting the
testimony Of the sacred scriptures,
should share in this same unbelief, is
something that is most difficult TO
understand. For has not God, as record
ed in numberless places in holy writ,
made man, weak and unworthy though
he be- the minister of His power? Do
we not read that Moses caused the
rivers of Egypt to flow in Grim
son floods? Did he not cause the
waters to issue from the barren rock?
Did not the prophets of old foretell
what the future held in store for the
chosen people of God? Nay, did not
some of them command even death it
self to give back it's victims? And why,
ask, do we believe all these wonder
full prodigies? Is it not because the
Scriptures record them? And does not
that same word of God declare to us
that the apostles received power from
almighty God to confer the Holy Ghost
by the imposition of hands,-tO forgive
sins,-to consecrate the body and blood
of Jesus Christ.-and has not Christ
solemnly promised in the wOrGs of my
text to be always with the ministers
of his church "even 10 the consum-
nation of the world" strengthening
them to repeat these same words of
mercy and love that werc wrought by
his first disciples? Then truly is the
mission of the priesthood of today sane
toned bv the same preroeatives as it
was in the days of the apostles For it
is God himself who has assigned them
the mission Of reconciling the earth
with heaven,-of bearing to the throne
of the Almighty the prayers and the
sighs of men, and OF bringing down to
men the benedictinns-the graces. and
the mercies of God. Yes truly may we
eXclaim with the aspostle, the priest is
the ambassador of God appointed to
vindicate his honor and proclaim his
glory. We are ambassadors of Christ. -
says the apostle. "God, as it were, eX-
/ hausting by us" All. how truly is this
an exalted and holy MISSION, all the
4 functions of which are so sublime and
1 holy,-to pay to the Almighty the pub
/ lie homage of praise and alteration in
/ the name of the whole cEurch,--to as
cend seven times Il day in the recita-
/ ton of the divine office to the throne
of grace, to draw from that ever flow
/ ing fountain of living waters the
( wherewith to refresh the souls of his
people. For he is chosen and conse-
Grated to make visible and sensible the
| life-the mnd,-and the word of Jesus
/ Christ. For when he said. "As my Fa-
1 ther hath sent me, so send I YOU He
meant that his priests should perpet-
uate in the world not only his word
and holy sacraments, but his own mind
his likeness and his life,--"that the
body of Christ which is his church
might be perfected" 1t is then upon
this mission that the continuance and
/ progress of the faith in the world de-
pends. True ii is, we have the infalli-
bic promise Of Christ that his church
will never cease; but to the hands OF
the priests he has entrusted the fate
of his church,-for to them he has com
mitted the preaching OF the gospel, tht
administration of the sacraments, the
government of the church, thus per
petuating in the world his own three
fold office of prophet, of priest, ant
of king. THE glory which tEou has
given me-" says Christ, Il now give
to them" But if this mission is truly
an exalted one, the duties and dangers
annexed to it are proportioned to its
pre-eminence. Great s their dignity.
says st. Jerome, but great also is thei
ruin if they dishonor their mission.
| THE priestly character" says anothe
eminent divine of the church, require
great soul and much courage. They
stand in need Of a thousand eyes OF
every side, that whilst they undertake
to convert and reclaim others from sin
they may not suffer themselves to b,
perverted" They are the salt of tn,
earth and the light of the world. Thei
lips are the repositories of knowledge
and the people are TO learn the diVin
law from their mouths.-for they ar,
the angels of the Lord of hosts. tn
J ambassadors Of heaven, sent into tn
E whole world charged TO enlighten ant
I guide it by their word and example
! and as it were, to season il with TIL
] spirit of Christian humility, meekness
= and charity. Go We therefore AM
teach all notwithstanding them to OBJ
f serve all things whatsoever I haV
commanded you, and behold ] am wit
= you all days" Such then is the prizes
and his mission considered in Tegar
t to himself and truly may we say il
I view of all his sacred functions. tha
. his first object is his own sanctifca
) ton. He must look well to himself, .
: but the apostle continues and says tina
= his mission goes still farther. 'he mus
5 also look well to all the members of tn
5 flock" His mission then considered j.
/ regard to those committed to his charg
viii furnish the second part Of thi
! mornings considerations.
f CID. AS we have already seen. tn
: first object Of the priests mission j
D his own sanctification. Bit this, apaI
I from his own salvation, is nothin
= more than a preparation for the SECOND
i. e., the efficacious leading c
2 souls to God. He must frs
. enthrone in his own heart tn