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PRINCIPLES OF APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE.

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we may say, with reference to those first converts, we have even more of the apostles' doctrine than they had, and it is more fully developed. I cannot do more on the present occasion, than recapitulate and compare the principles of Christian doctrine, as declared in other places of God's word, with those in which this primitive Church is said to have continued stedfastly. The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews enumerates the elements of Christian doctrine in the following order: "Laying the foundation of repentance from dead works; faith towards God; the doctrine of baptism; the laying on of hands; the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Now if these principles, which were taught by St. Paul, are found to agree with the teaching of Peter, who was the apostle of the circumcision, it is clear we have the acknowledged and undoubted doctrine of the apostles as the primitive Church received it. Consider then, for a moment, the words of St. Peter, and you will find out of the six principles mentioned by Paul, four most plainly to be set forth. For when conviction was wrought in the hearts of those three thousand, and they said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, who had equal authority to answer them, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said unto them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ,

122 PRINCIPLES OF APOSTOLIC DOCTRINE. [LECT.

for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." In this comprehensive answer are taught the doctrines of " repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins:"-the doctrine of baptism is set forth as the initiative rite of admission into the body of Christ's Church, spiritually signifying the death unto sin, as it is written-" Being buried with Christ by baptism into death." And fourthly, "the gift of the Holy Ghost," which was conferred by the laying on of hands by the apostles-spiritually, the real possession of the heart by the Divine influence; and so far there is a perfect agreement in Christian Doctrine as preached by the two apostles. As to the other two points, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment, they had been sufficiently pointed out, whilst Peter was proving that the body of Jesus did not see corruption in the grave. When, however, the same apostle instructed the first Gentile convert in the true faith, he testified that this Jesus, whom God had raised up the third day, was ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and the dead. And thus I conceive we know, to all intents and purposes, what the apostles' doctrine is', as well as those converts on the day of Pentecost.

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Although there can be no doubt that the apostles believed every article contained in that confession of faith called the

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THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS. 123

The second grand feature in this new society is the fellowship of its members with the apostles as their spiritual guides, and with one another as brethren in the same cause. We are to recollect that the new converts were all Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven: they had come to Jerusalem for the purpose of celebrating a national festival, and in the ordinary course of

Apostles' Creed, it did not appear in its entire form, as we have it, until towards the very end of the fourth century, and even then not universally. (See Pearson's Notes upon the Exposition of the Creed, Vol. II. p. 52; new 8vo. edit. ibid. p.277.) The two most ancient creeds extant are found in Irenæus and Tertullian; they do not, however, contain so many points of Christian doctrine as may be gathered from St. Peter's sermon and St. Paul's elements. Irenæus is more diffuse upon the article of Christ's power in judging men and rebel angels; but his creed is essentially the same as Tertullian's, which is as follows: Unicum quidem Deum credimus sub hac tamen conditione, quam œconomiam dicimus, ut unici Dei sit et Filius, Sermo ipsius, qui ex ipso processerit, per quem omnia facta sunt, et sine quo factum est nihil: hunc missum a Patre in Virginem, et ex ea natum hominem et Deum, filium hominis et filium Dei, et cognominatum Jesum Christum; hunc passum, hunc mortuum et sepultum secundum Scripturas et resuscitatum a Patre et in cœlos resumptum sedere ad dexteram Patris, venturum judicare vivos et mortuos ; qui exinde miserit, secundum promissionem suam, a Patre Spiritum Sanctum Paracletum, sanctificatorem fidei eorum qui credunt in Patrem et Filium et Spiritum Sanctum. Advers. Praxeam, s. 2. See Jortin's Remarks on Ecclesiast. Hist. Book II. p. 2. Vol. II. p. 26.

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THE COMMUNION OF THE SAINTS. [LECT. things, after they had paid their vows, they would doubtless have returned to their respective homes; but an influence, such as they little expected, had taken possession of their minds, they desired to remain together for their mutual edification and support, "provoking one another to love and to good works:" they did not, therefore, disperse themselves abroad, but "continued stedfastly" in this Christian fellowship. This fellowship did not merely consist in the outward forms which held the society together, for these they had previously to their becoming Christians; they had been in "the temple with one accord," and uniting in the public worship (for they were devout men), they had exhibited an external communion; but it was not "the communion of saints." There wanted some more secret tie, some secret influence which should knit together their hearts in love; for truly says an apostle,

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our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ;" and so powerful was the heavenly bond which united the believing thousands, that "the multitude of them were of one heart and of one soul."

The forming of these primitive believers into one body implies an appointed discipline to be duly observed in constituting the visible Church of Christ. We are not here informed, indeed, what that form of discipline was, and it is evident

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that it must change with circumstances; but the spiritual bond of union must ever be the same. If therefore we would seek for this second characteristic of the primitive Church, which is implied in the apostles' fellowship, we must look to the principles of Christian doctrine, rather than to the form of Church government; and if we find the former inculcated agreeably to the word of God, there will be our fellowship with the apostles; for although the blessed apostles are dead, and we can have no visible fellowship with them, yet Christ has promised to be with them in their successors to the end of the world. Now their successors are those who preach their doctrine, and the doctrine taught by them is no where to be found but in the holy Scriptures; and only where those Scriptures are purely preached and humbly received is there fellowship. "We must attach ourselves," says Eusebius, "to those things which are delivered in the Scriptures, but not search into those which are not established in the word of God; because the Holy Spirit would have put them in the Scriptures, if it had been necessary for us to have known them, and we must not imagine ourselves to be wiser than the Holy Spirit if certain things are not written, they must not be even mentioned, whilst on the other hand it is criminal to efface those which are