Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

in the Perfon of Christ, the whole + Body of Christians, which before might be chiding, and declining the Offender, must be ordered to leave off all * Bitterness of Speech and Behaviour, and to receive him again into Favour.

THESE Ways of Lenity are as neceffary in Church Difcipline, as thofe of Severity aforegoing: For thofe, without thefe, inftead of amending and supporting, would bring the Church to Destruction. As by entirely lopping off every difeafed Member, when curable, the Body would be left in an helpless and perishing Condition.

THUS much for Methods of Correction; of Peace and Favour Chrift hath only inftituted Ont, the Sacrament of the 02D's Supper. Do this in Remembrance of me.

Without this Method the Regulation of a Chriftian Society is imperfect; it wants that Mark, whereby those who behave well, and best deserve the Favour of the Church are diftinguished as fuch, and receive a public Teftimony of their Piety, by being admitted

† 2 Cor. vii. II. * Chap. ii. 7, 8.

+ I Cor. xi.

to

to those Mysteries, to which none can be admitted whose Ways and Practices are Enemies to the Cross of Chrift. The Notion here advanced is by no means new or fingular; it appears by the ancient Canons, that the primitive Church always confidered the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, as the Fence that separated from the common Herd of Christians, and the Pale that inclosed the FAITHFUL.

THIS then may ferve as a fummary Account of Christian Ordinances, or the Methods of Reconciliation, of their Nature and Defign in general, and what they are, and how far necessary.

II. I PROCEED now in the fecond Place to fhew, that these were committed to the Apostles by God Almighty.

THAT St. Paul affirmeth thus much in the Words of the Text is plain: for he is speaking in the Perfon of an Apoftle, and when he he fays Ds, he includes all Officers of that Denomination. It may be indeed that the Apostle fpeaks only of himself in the Plural, as is common enough in his Writings, which however comes to the fame Thing; for whatever is affirmed of one APOSTLE, as fuch,

muft

must be affirmed of all. This Paffage of Scripture therefore might be of itself sufficient to shew the immediate Divine Kight of the Apoftolic Ministry; but that other Pasfages, which have been misunderstood and darkened, make it neceffary to enter into a particular Diffcuffion of this great Article.

CONCERNING the eleven Apostles, which our Saviour left at his Afcenfion no Question arifes: the Dispute turns upon St. Matthias, St. Paul, and Barnabas.

THE Relation of St. Matthias's coming to the Apostolate is to this Effect.

**Soon after our Lord's Departure into Hea"ven, St. Peter tells the Difciples concerning Judas that another was to take his

[ocr errors]

re

Bishopric. Wherefore, faith he, of thefe Men, which accompanied with us all the Time, that the Lord Jefus went in and out amongst us, muft one be ordained to be a "Witnefs with us of his Refurrection. And

[ocr errors]

they appointed two, Jofeph called Barfabas,

-and, Matthias; and they prayed and

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

"faid, Thou Lord which knowest the Hearts " of all Men, fhew whether of these two "thou haft chofen. -And they gave forth "their Lots, and the Lot fell upon Matthias, " and he was numbred with the eleven Apof"tles."

THE Lots here mentioned were the Lots of two Perfons, not the Calculi of an whole + Affembly, or of the eleven Apostles. This is evident from thefe Words, Thou Lozd which knowelt the hearts of all Men, shew whether of these two, thou haft cholen. For had they proceeded by Suffrage, and Election, the Choice had been their own, and it would have been abfurd to have prayed to God, to have chofen for them. The Circumstances of the Thing exclude all human Influence. The Decifion therefore was not of Men, but

+ I appeal to the Practice of the Heathens in a like Cafe: for instance, in the following Paffage of Homer, I would be glad to know, if the Grecians could be faid to have chofen Ajax to enter the Lifts against Hector?

Ενδ ̓ ἔβαλον κυνέη Αγαμέμνονα. Ατρείδαο Ακοὶ δ' ηρήσαντο θεοῖσι δὲ χεῖρας ἀνέσχον Ωδε δε τις εἴπεσκεν ἰδὼν εἰς ἐρανὸν ἐυρύν

Ζεῦ πάτερ ἡ ̓́Αιανα λαχεῖν ἢ τυδές υιόν. &c.

S

Homer. Il. vii. 175.

of

of God. Thus much concerning the Call of St. Matthias.

WITH Regard to Paul and Barnabas, it is thought that they were ordained to their Miniftry by the Hands of Men, and confequently received Power and Authority from Men; or this was no Ordination. But before this Opinion be confuted, it may be proper to fet it forth in the Manner it is received by the Church of Rome, and fuch of our own Church, as entertain it.

* THE ROMAN Martyrology, we are told, fays that St. Paul, and therefore St. Barnabas, received Ordination from the Hands of Men, and the Writers of that Communion, to speak confiftently with this, talk of a certain full Authority, which was thereby given these Apoftles. [Tho' by the Way, when they speak of the Holy Ghost, commanding them to be ordained (provoda) it is a Mistake; the Word is || Separate them from you, fend them away the Work, to which I HAVE called them.]

*Tillemont in St. Paul, & 8.
See the Margin of fome Editions.

to

+ Ibid. & in Bar.

OUR

« VorigeDoorgaan »