Another encouraging motive, which our Lord gav to his professed disciples, was the promife of divine affistance, in aid to the weakness of human nature, to co-operate with their fincere endeavours after virtue. I will pray the Father, fays our Lord, and he will give be 28 you another comforter, which will abide with you for ever, John xiv. 15, 16, 17 29-Jol Islamradz ballea, on stod s ensThus we fee the foundation of the Chriftian church, as it was laid by Jefus Chrift himself what were the qualifications requifite to conftitute the members of it. 9115 what were the ends to be propofed and anfwered by fuch focieties and what were the benefits that would arife from thence; namely, that his voluntary and faithful perfevering followers, fhould enter into the kingdom of heaven, and enjoy eternal life.

And that the gofpel might be preached to all nations and that the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, might be brought under its influence, and confequently might fhare in its benefits, Chrift chofe twelve

men, (of which one proved a traitor to him, The apostles commifioned and to fill up whofe place Matthias was shofen) to be with him in his preaching and miniftry among the Jews, to be witneffes of what he both taught and did, and whom he intended to appoint and qualify to preach the fame gofpel to the rest of mankind. And accordingly Chrift, after he was put to death by the Jews and Romans, rofe again from the dead, on purpofe that he might ftrictly charge and command, and that he might excite and enable thefe his apoftles to preach his gospel as aforefaid, and thereby pursue the great end and purpose of his coming. Luke xxiv. 26, 27, 28, 29. Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Chrift to fuffer, and arife from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remiffion of fins, Should be preached in his name among

sad rodied adt box) tedt medt

See Doctor Fofter, of the Influences and Fruits of the Spirit,

vol. II.

110.

دم

Lawrence's Chriftian Morals, &c. vol. I. p. 1849 185.

Bishop of Gloucester's Three Difcourfes on the Influences of the Spirit. A

all

all nations, beginning at Jerufalem. And ye are witnesses of these things; and behold I send the promise of my Father unto you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerufalem until ye shall be endued with power from on high. This promife of the Father, or the enduing them with power from on high, was made good to them at the feast of Pentecoft. Matt. xxviii. 18, 19. And Jefus came and spake unto them, faying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth: go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft. To the perfons before-mentioned were afterwards added two more, viz. Paul and Barnabas, that in the exercise of their ministry, up and down the world, these fourteen apostles might offer to all, without diftinction, the gofpel of Chrift, and by their preaching and example encourage others voluntarily to become Chriftians.

The publication of the gospel being ordained as the means to call, and engage, and prevail with finners, in confideration of the proofs thereby given, and the benefits therein offered, to believe in Chrift as the promised Meffiah, and to take him with their whole hearts to be their fole teacher,lawgiver, and judge; to make open profeffion of that faith and felf-dedication to him, and to love unfeignedly all his difciples, as they would be the members of Chrift's church or kingdom: the banner of a Chriftian is not the picture of a crofs hung upon a pole, or made upon his forehead; but it is a virtuous and unblameable converfation, or a mind and life conformed to the gofpel of Chrift.

And accordingly we find that, pursuant to the commiffion which our Lord gave to the apoftles, faying, As my Father bath fent me, fo fend Iyou, (which, by the way, fhews the extent of the apoftolic commiffion) they went forth to different parts to establish the kingdom of the Meffiah, and to preach the gofpel to all, whether Jews or Gentiles, whether Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free. Thus St. Andrew principally preached the gofpel

* Rev. Mr Samuel Bolde on Church Power, p. 51.

in

in Scythia, St. Bartholomew in India, St. Matthew in Parthia, St. John in the Leffer Afia, &c §.

It may here be proper, though it may feem a digreffion, to take notice of the peculiar as well as fupernatural qualifications of the apoftles to their special office and dignity; for befides their extraordinary call and commiffion, of which we have already taken notice, these were more especially stiled the ambaffadors of God to men, for which they were qualified by the communication of fpiritual gifts, and of miraculous powers. They had, indeed, feen our Lord, and were fufficiently qualified to be witneffes of the truth and reality of his refurrection from the dead, upon which grand fact they were to found the evidence of the Chriftian doctrines, which they had, in great measure, learnt from him, as eye and ear witneffes of his doctrines, life, and miracles. But befides this, they had the effufion of the fpirit, whereby they were qualified to preach the gofpel in the different parts of the world, and to work miracles in atteftation of their miffion and doctrine. These fpiritual gifts and powers are mentioned, 1 Cor. xii. 8, 9, 10, 28, 29, 30. To them was committed, by the fame fpirit, the word of wisdom-the word of knowledgethe gift of difcerning fpirits *—and in confequence of this, of binding or loofing, remitting or retaining the fins of men+- They had alfo the gift of prophecy

the

SKing's Primitive Church. * Some judicious writers understand this to relate to their difcernment and prudence in the recommendation and appointment of proper perfons to the miniftry.

+ The affuming power of the Romish church, or the pope, is in no inftance more remarkable, than in claiming the power of abfolution and indulgences, founded on those words, John xx. 23. Whofe fins foever ge remit, they are remitted, and whofe fins fo ever ye retain, they are retained, addreffed to the apoft les; but evidently relate to, and must be understood of, fuch conditions whereon God hath promised pardon. And the form of abfolution, made ufe of in the three first centuries, was this-Almighty God, be merciful unto thee, and forgive thee thy fins(a). And in the Greek church, this

(a) Ordo Romanus in the pontifical of the Latin church, p. 567.

prayer

2011d the gift of fortitude is generally reckoned the gift of tongues-the gift of interpretation of with the former. By thefe, and the like fupernatural gifts, with which they were indued, by the effufion of the fpirit, on the day of Pentecoft, or communicated to them fometimes inftantaneously, they were enabled to eive give fuch proofs of their miffion and doctrine, as might tend to the furtherance of the gospel. When 20flogs an

C

Acts 11. 4.

Thus St. Peter and St. John cured a man who was forty years old, and had been lame from his birth, sf. And St. Peter railed Dorcas from the dead, and St. Paul raised Eutychus, which power did not extend to other apoftles.ellite yumibors And we no where find, that this power was inherent in, or capable of being wantonly exerted by them, but abfolutely dependent on the power and pleasure of the Supreme Giver. 19 Sif diew our 23 to 9nQ

prayer of Damafcen is ftill cited: "O Lord Jefus Chrift, our God, who hath power to forgive fins, in thy goodness and loving kindness Jipals by all offences of thy fervants; thou art the God of mercies,

for

and able to forgive fins."-In this fenfe, the office of the priest is to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the abfolution and remiffion of their fins; and, furely, what they are to declare and pronounce, muft actually be done before they can really declare and pronounce it to be done.

Here it is objected, that, if this be the import of the words, and they were spoken to the apostles in that fenfe, that they cannot, in the fame fenfe, belong to any of their fucceffors, Why do we in buo ordination, retain this form of words front ave ye the

Holy

Ghofts whofe foever fins ye remit, thay are remitted, and whofe fins foever ye retain, they are retained."No more is intended by it than this Receive ye the Holy Ghoft for ther office of a bishop, for receive ye the Holy Ghoft for the office of a prefbyter, declaring the remiffion of fins upon the terms of the gofpel." And this fenfe, fays Whitby, correfponds with the feveral previous declarations made on the part of the bishop or prefbyter(b).The fenfe, therefore, of the protestant church, ftands evidently opposed to the claims of the Romish church; though it were much to be wifhed, that the compilers of th the offices of ordination had been more explicit with refpect to the true feriptural and rational fenfe, in which they were therein appointed to be used.

gardlildafts.

(b) See Bishop Whitby's Sermons, X. p, 264, 265.

It is likewife obfervable that, though pursuant to our Lord's promife, infinite wifdom faw fit to add fupernatural qualifications, for the great ends and purposes of their office, befides the privilege of being cotemporaries with Chrift, and learning from him the great doctrines and duties of the Chriftian religion; yet our Lord cautions his apostles against an abfolute dependence on fuch extraordinary communications. Behold, fays he, I fend You forth as Sheep among wolves; be ye therefore wife as ferpents and harmless as doves, intimating that, notwithftanding their fpecial call and commiffion, and the extraordinary affiftance they fhould receive, they were, nevertheless, to remember they were dependent on the divine energies, and had no claim to infallibility, as they were men, and fhould therefore conduct themfelves with care, prudence, and circumfpection.

་

ambique One of the most diftinguishing miraculous powers communicated to the apoftles, was the ability of conferring on others fome fpiritual gifts; and it has been often afferted, that they did this to fome of the adult converts wherever they came; though what particular cgifts vor powers thofe converts fhould receive, in confequence of their prayer and impofition of their hands, was not folely at their choice, but dependent on the will and direction of the Divine Spirit, who knew beft what was proper, both for particular perfons, and for the common intereft of Chriftianity. This extraordinary manifeftation of the fpirit, which attended the public miniftration of the gofpel, is fometimes, reprefented as a plenteous and visible effufion of the divine fpirit, and at other times, in a leffer degree, conferred by the laying on of the hands of the apoftles. Thefe ed peculiar ganda extraordinary gifts and powers of the apostles, plainly fhew how well qualified they were for their important undertaking, by demolishing the falfe religion, which had fo long prevailed in the world, and -establishing the principles of Chriftianity with all its * A& iv. 13. viii. 39. Acts x. 44.

&

4

9

9

+ See Dr. Benson of the Propagation of Christianity.
4

genuine