the great body of the faithful; it is appropriated to a certain class of persons, who, being invested with this august character, and consecrated to God by the lawful imposition of hands and the solemn ceremonies of the Church, are devoted to some particular office in the sacred ministry.
This distinction of Priesthood is observable even in the Old Law. We have already seen that David spoke of the internal Priesthood; and with regard to the external, the numerous commands delivered by God to Moses and Aaron in reference to it, are too well known to require special mention. Moreover, the Almighty appointed the tribe of Levi to the ministry of the temple, and forbade by an express law that any member of a different tribe should assume that function; and Osias, stricken by God with leprosy for having usurped the sacerdotal office, was visited with the heaviest chastisement for his arrogant and sacrilegious intrusion. [1] , As, then, we find this same distinction of internal and external Priesthood in the New Law, the faithful are to be informed that we here speak of the external only, for that alone belongs to the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
The office of the Priest is then, as the rites used at his consecration declare, to offer sacrifice to God, and to administer the Sacraments of the Church: the bishop, and after him the priests who may be present, impose hands on the candidate for priesthood; then placing a stole on his shoulders, he adjusts it in form of a cross, to signify that the priest receives strength from above, to enable him to carry the cross of Jesus Christ, to bear the sweet yoke of his divine law, and to enforce this law, not by word only, but also by the eloquent example of a holy life. He next anoints his hands with sacred oil, reaches him a chalice containing wine and a patena with bread, saying: " RECEIVE POWER TO OFFER SACRIFICE TO GOD, AND TO CELEBRATE MASS AS WELL FOR THE LIVING AS FOR THE DEAD." By these words and ceremonies he is constituted an interpreter and mediator between God and man, the principal function of the Priesthood. Finally, placing his hands on the head of the person to be ordained, the bishop says: " RECEIVE YE THE HOLY GHOST; WHOSE SINS YOU SHALL FORGIVE, THEY ARE FORGIVEN THEM: AND WHOSE SINS YOU SHALL RETAIN, THEY ARE RETAINED;" [2] thus investing him with that divine power of forgiving and retaining sins, which was conferred by our Lord on his disciples These are the principal and peculiar functions of the Priesthood.
The Order of Priesthood, although essentially one, has different degrees of dignity and power. The first is confined to those who are simply called Priests, and whose functions we have now explained. The second is that of Bishops, who are placed over their respective Sees, to govern not only the other
