Page:The reason of church-governement urg'd against prelaty - Milton (1641).djvu/60

Pastor, and his to them, then when in select numbers and courses they are seen partaking, and doing reverence to the holy duties of discipline by their serviceable, and solemn presence, and receiving honour again from their imployment, not now any more to be separated in the Church by vails and partitions as laicks and unclean, but admitted to wait upon the tabernacle as the rightfull Clergy of Christ, a chosen generation, a royal Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice in that meet place to which God and the Congregation shall call and assigne them. And this all Christians ought to know, that the title of Clergy S. Peter gave to all Gods people, till Pope Higinus and the succeeding Prelates took it from them, appropriating that name to themselves and their Priests only; and condemning the rest of Gods inheritance to an injurious and alienat condition of Laity, they separated from them by local partitions in Churches, through their grosse ignorance and pride imitating the old temple: and excluded the members of Christ from the property of being members, the bearing of orderly and fit offices in the ecclesiastical body, as if they had meant to sow up that Jewish vail which Christ by his death on the Crosse rent in sunder. Although these usurpers could not so presently over-maister the liberties and lawfull titles of Gods freeborn Church, but that Origen being yet a lay man expounded the Scriptures publickly, and was therein defended by Alexander of Jerusalem, and Theoctistus of Cæsarea producing in his behalf divers examples that the privilege of teaching was anciently permitted to many worthy Laymen; And Cyprian in his Epistles professes he will doe nothing without the advice and assent of his assistant Laicks. Neither did the first Nicene councel, as great and learned as it was, think it any robbery to receive in, and require the help and presence of many learned lay brethren, as they were then calld. Many other autorities to confirm this assertion both out of Scripture and the writings of next antiquity Golartius hath collected in his notes upon Cyprian; whereby it will be evident that the Laity not only by Apostolick permission, but by consent of many the ancientest Prelates did participat in Church offices as much as is desir'd any lay Elder should now do. Sometimes also not the Elders alone, but the whole body of the Church is interested in the work of discipline, as oft as publick satisfaction is given by those that have given publick scandal. Not to speak now of her right in elections. But another reason there is in it, which though religion did not commend to us, yet morall

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