concerned; while they neglected the more effential and indifpenfible Duties.

Thus far have I gone over the most important Places, that have occurred to me in the Old Testament, relating to this Matter ; upon all which, I will only add one Remark, That though fome Exception might be made to thofe Expreffions, that import the Dignity and Sanctification of those who were then confecrated to the holy Functions, as Parts of that inftituted Religion, which had its Period by the coming of Chrift; yet fuch Paffages as relate to moral Duties, and to the Obligations that arife out of natural Religion, have certainly a more binding Force, and ought to be understood and explained in a more elevated and fublime Senfe, under the new Difpenfation, which is internal and fpiritual; compared to which, the old is called the Letter and the Flesh: Therefore the Obligations of the Priests, under the Chriftian Religion, to a holy strictness of Life and Conversation, to a diligent Attendance on their Flock, and for inftructing and watching over them, muft all be as much higher, and more binding, as this new Covenant excels the old one.

СНАР,

CHA P. III.

Paffages out of the New Teftament, relating to the fame Matter.

TH

HIS general Confideration receives a vaft Improvement from the great Example that the Author of our Religion, the great Bishop and Shepherd of our Souls, has fet us; who went about, ever doing Good; to whom it was as his meat and drink, to do the will of his Father that fent him: he was the good Shepherd that knew his Sheep, and laid down his Life for them. And fince he fet fuch a Value on the Souls of that Flock which he hath redeemed, and purchased with his own Blood; certainly thofe to whom he has committed, that Work of Reconciliation which ftood himself fo dear, ought to confider themselves under very strict Obligations, by that Charge of which they must give a fevere Account at the great Day, in which the Blood of all thofe who have perifhed through their Neglect and Default, fhall be required at their Hands. Yet because I will not aggravate this Argument unreasonably, I will make no use of those Paffages which relate immediately to the Apostles: For their Fun

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to God for it, that are among us fixed to the Ember-Weeks, have been gathered by many pious Writers. In the Warnings that our Saviour gives to prepare for his fecond Luke xii. coming, we find the Characters of good and bad Clergymen ftated, in Oppofition to one another, under the Figure of Stewards: The Good are both wife and faithful, they wait for his coming, and in the mean while are dividing to every one of their fellow fervants his portion to eat in due feason, that is, their Proportion both of the Doctrine and Mysteries of the Gofpel, according to their feveral Capacities and Neceffities : But the bad Stewards are thofe who put the evil Day far from them, and fsay in their beart the Lord delayeth his coming, upon which they eat, drink, and are drunken: they indulge their fenfual Appetites even to a fcandalous Excefs, and as for their fellow fervants, instead of feeding, of inftructing, or watching over them, they beat them, they exercife a violent and tyrannical Authority over them. Their State in the next World is reprefented as different as their Behaviour in this was, the one shall be exalted from being a Steward to be a ruler over the houfbold, to be a king and a priest for ever unto God; whereas the other ball be cut afunder, and fhall have his portion with unbelievers.

The

The 10th of St. John is the Place which both Fathers, and more modern Writers, have chiefly made use of to fhew the Difference between good and bad Pastors. The good Shepherds enter by the Door, and Chrift is this Door by whom they muft enter; that is, from whom they must have their Vocation and Miffion; but the thief and robber, who comes to kill, fteal, and deftroy, climbeth up fome other way: Whatever he may do in the ritual Way for Form's Sake, he has in his Heart no Regard to Jefus Christ, to the Honour of his Perfon, the Edification of his Church, or the Salvation of Souls; he intends only to raise and enrich himself; and fo he compaffes that, he cares not how many Souls perifh by his Means, or through his Neglect. The good Shepherd knows his sheep fo well, that he can call them by name, and lead them out, and they hear his voice; but the hireling careth not for the sheep, he is a stranger to them, they know not his voice, and will not follow him. This is urged by all, who have preffed the Obligation of Residence, and of the personal Labours of the Clergy, as a plain divine and indifpenfible Precept: and even in the Council of Trent, tho' by the Practices of the Court of Rome, it was diverted from declaring Refidence to be of Divine Right, the Decree that was made to enforce it, urges

this Place to fhew the Obligation to it. The good Shepherd feeds the flock, and looks for pasture for them, and is ready to give his life for the feep; but the bad Shepherd is reprefented as a hireling that careth not for the flock, that fees the wolf coming, and upon that leaveth the sheep and fleeth. This is, it is true, a Figure, and therefore I know it is thought an ill way of reafoning to build. too much upon figurative Discourses; yet on the other Hand, our Saviour having delivered fo great a Part of his Doctrine in Parables, we ought at leaft to consider the main Scope of a Parable; and may well build upon that, tho' every particular Circumftance in it cannot bear an Argument.

I fhall add but one Paffage more from the Gospels, which is much made ufe of by all that have writ of this Matter. When our Saviour confirmed St. Peter in his Apoftleship, from which he had fallen by his denying of him, as in the Charge which he John xii. thrice repeated of feeding his lambs and his

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Sheep, he purfues ftill the Figure of a Shepberd; fo the Queftion that he asked preparatory to it, was, Simon, loveft thou me more than thefe? From which they justly gather, that the Love of God, a Zeal for his Honour, and a preferring of that to all other things whatsoever, is a neceffary and indifpenfible Qualification for that holy Em

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