A defence of the vindication of the deprived bishops wherein the case of Abiathar is particularly considered, and the invalidity of lay-deprivations is further proved, from the doctrine received under the Old Testament, continued in the first ages of christianity, and from our own fundamental laws, in a reply to Dr. Hody and another author : to which is annexed, the doctrine of the church of England, concerning the independency of the clergy on the lay-power, as to those rights of theirs which are purely spiritual, reconciled with our oath of supremancy, and the lay-deprivations of the popish bishops in the beginning of the reformation / by the author of the Vindication of the deprived bishops.

§ XXXVIII. VVhich Force might, in the Consequence ren∣der the Exercise of his Right im∣practicable. (Book 38)

For it is to be remembered, that the Jewish Priest-hood included seve∣veral Secular Rights, which must therefore have been in the Power of the Secular Magistracy; and as to the Spiritual Offices, was so confined to places, which the Magistrate could hinder the Priests from by his Power of External Force, that, in case he would make use of his Force to hinder them, the whole Exercise of the Right of Priest-hood would there∣by be rendered impractable. It included, by Divine Institution, many Secular Rights. Particularly, as to the Oracle of Urim, by which many Secular Causes were to be determined, and by which, (on account of the Governments being Theocratical) the Supream Civil Magistrate as well as the Subject, was in Conscience to be concluded. This was consulted by the Elders of Israel concerning their designed Expedi∣tion against the * 1.1 Benjamits, by Saul on the miraculous victory of † 1.2 Jonathan, by David in the Cases of Sauls Exepedition against him, and the treachery of the Men of Keilah, and his own Expedition against the Philistians. And the Elders of Israel, even in the time of Joshua, are blamed for not * 1.3 Asking Counsel at the Mouth of the Lord in the Case of the Peace made with the Gibeonites, by which we un∣derstand the Obligation of the Civil Magistrate, as well to consult, as to observe this Oracle. And in private Cases, when a Cause fell out † 1.4 too hard in Judgment, that is, for the Decision of the Ordinary Judges, between blood and blood, between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, as in the time of Moses, they consulted him, and he consulted GOD; so afterwards the ordinary course was, to make the Ultimate Appeal to the Priests (no doubt the High Priest more principally,) and to stand to their award under of pain Death. These Causes which concerned blood and blood, and stroke and stroke, were undoubtedly Secular, as

also the Capital punishment to be afflicted on those that proved re∣factory. These Secular Rights GOD annext inseparably to the Priest-hood. But the execution of them wholly depended on the Power of the Sword, which GOD was pleas'd intirely to permit to the Civil Magistrate, whom the Priests could therefore only oblige in Conscience, which obligation if the Magistrate would not regard, it was fully in his Power to hinder the Execution of such Decrees. So also, even the Spirituals of that Sacerdotal Office depended on things in the Power of the Civil Magistrate. The Lawful Priest himself could Sacrifice no where but in the Temple, and at the Altar of Jerusalem, and in the particular Vestments prescribed by the Law. If he did, such Sacrifi∣ces would not only be unacceptable, but Piacular. This the Romans very well understood, when, by locking up the Vestments in the Fort Antonia, and by keeping a guard there that should command the Tem∣ple, to which the Fort was contiguous, they engrossed the disposal of the High Priest hood intirely to themselves. And it was also in the Power of Solomon to make the whole Exercise of Abiathar's Priest-hood impracticable, by the like force which he had a Right, as a Prince, to exercise, where he should judge it necessary for the good of the Secular Society, for which he was principally concerned. This was an indirect Power over Abiathar's Spirituals in order to his own Tempo∣rals.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Judg XX. 27. 28. 1 Sam, XIV. 18, 19.
• † 1.2

  1 Sam. XXIII. 9, ••0, 11, 12. 2 Sam. V. 23, 4. 1 Chr. XIV. 14. 15.
• * 1.3

  Josh. IX. 15.
• † 1.4

  Deut. XVII. 8, 11, 12, 13.