Page images
PDF
EPUB

H

cannot be fuppofed to be endued with fufficient authority to teach; and therefore in purfuance of this commiffion, we find that the Apoftles did govern the focieties of Chriftians by fuch rules and conftitutions, as were fitted to the then prefent circumstances of Chriftianity. And as they did appoint temporary officers upon emergent occafions, fo they conftituted others that were of perpetual ufe in the church, for the inftructing and governing of Chriftians; and that in fuch a fubordination to one another, as would be most effectual to the attaining of the end of government: which fubordination of governors, hath not only been ufed in all religions, but in all the well-regulated civil focieties that ever were in the world. And this may fuffice to have spoken of the fecond part of their commiffion.

The third and last thing in the text, is the promife which our Saviour here makes for the encouragement of the Apostles in this work; Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world; that is, though I be going from you in perfon, yet I will ftill be prefent with you by my power and fpirit. And furely this must needs be a great encouragement to have him engaged for their affiftance, who had all power in heaven and earth committed to him, as he tells them at the 18th verfe.

I fhall endeavour therefore, as far as the time will permit, to explain to you the true meaning and extent of this promife. That it is primarily made to the Apoftles, no man can doubt, that confiders, that it was fpoken to them immediately by our Saviour: and in regard to them, the meaning of it is plainly this, that our Saviour would fend down the Holy Ghost upon them, in miraculous gifts, to qualify and enable them for the more fpeedy planting and propagating of the gofpel in the world, and that he would be with them, and affift them extraordinarily in this work.

And that this is the primary meaning of it, in regard to the Apostles, will be very plain, by confidering how this promife is expreft by the other Evangelifts; Mark xvi. 17. instead of this promife, you have thefe words immediately after our Saviour had given

them

them commiffion to go and preach the 'gofpel, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature: He that believeth and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. And then it follows, Thefe figns fhall follow them that believe ; in my name they shall caft out devils, and Shall speak with new tongues. And Luke xxiv. 49. inftead of, Lo, I am with you, it is faid, Behold, I fend the promise of my Father upon you; that is, the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghoft; for it follows in the next words, But tarry ye in the city of Jerusa lem, until ye be endued with power from on high. This St. Luke himfelf interprets of the promife of the Holy Ghoft, Acts i. 4, 5. He commanded them, that they should not depart from Jerufalem, but wait for the promife of the Father, which, faith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghoft, not many days hence. And ver. 8. Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghoft is come upon you, and ye fhall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermoft parts of the earth. So that no man that compares thefe texts together, can doubt, but that this was the primary meaning of this promife, as it was made to the Apostles.

But then it is as plain likewife, that this promife is to be extended farther than to the perfons of the Apoftles, even to all those that should afterwards fucceed them in this work of preaching the gofpel, and baptizing, because our Saviour adds, that he would be with them to the end of the world; which words, because they reach far beyond the Apoftles times, (as I fhall fhew by and by) must be neceffarily extended to fuch perfons in after ages, as fhould carry on the fame work.

- There are two famous controverfies about the fenfe of these words, in which this promife is expreffed:

The first is, concerning the circumstance of time mentioned in this promife, alway, to the end of the world,

The

The other concerning the fubftance of the promise itself, what is meant by our Saviour's being with them. In the first we have to deal with the Enthufiafts; in the latter with the Papifts. I fhall examine the pretences of both thefe, as briefly and plainly as

I can.

Firft, Concerning the circumftance of time expreft in these words, Alway, to the end of the world. The Enthufiafts would perfuade us, that the meaning of thefe phrafes is not to be extended beyond that age, and that this promife is to be limited to the Apostles perfons, and that the fenfe of it is, that Chrift would be with the Apoftles πᾶσας τὰς ἡμέρας, all their days, fo long as they fhould live, and that would be, ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ ἀιῶνος to the end of that age; thus they tranflate it, and with no worfe defign than to take away the neceffity of a gofpel-miniftry.

But this pretence will vanish, if we can make good these two things:

1. That the letter of this promife extends further than the perfons of the Apoftles, and the continuance of that age.

2. However that be, it is certain that the reason of it extends to all that fhould fucceed them in their miniftry, to the end of the world.

1. The letter of this promise extends farther than the perfons of the Apostles, and the continuance of that age. I will eafily grant that the phrafe taas Ta's up, fignifies only continually; I will be with you continually; but then the other phrafe as TS συντελείας τοῦ ἐιῶνος, until the end of the world, is feveral times in fcripture undeniably used for the end and diffolution of all things, and cannot with any probability be fhewen to be ever ufed otherwife. In this fenfe it is unquestionably used three times, Matth. xiii. The harvest is the end of the world, ver. 39. So fhall it be at the end of the world, ver. 40. and ver. 49. it is faid, that at the end of the world, the Angels fhall come forth, and fever the wicked from the just, and cast them into the furnace; which must either be understood of the end of the world, and of the day of judgment, or there will be no clear text in

the

[ocr errors]

the whole Bible to that purpofe; and it is very probable, that this phrafe is used in the fame fenfe, Matth. xxiv. 3. where the difciples ask our Saviour, What shall be the fign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? as will appear to any one that confiders our Saviour's answer to this queftion; the latter part whereof cannot, without too much violence, be accommodated to any thing but the final diffolution of the world. Now if this phrafe be every where elfe in fcripture ufed in this fenfe, there is no reason why it fhould be taken otherwife in the text, only to ferve the purpose of an unreasonable opinion.

I know there are phrafes very near a-kin to this, which are used in a quite different fenfe, namely, for the expiration of the Jewish state: and that we may know how to diftinguifh them, it is obfervable, that when the fcripture fpeaks of the end of the world, it is called συντελεία τοῦ αἰῶνος, the end of the age, in the fingular number; but when it fpeaks of the times before the gofpel, it always expreffeth them in the plural: the reafon of which is, that famous tradition among the Jews, of the houfe of Elias, which diftributed the whole duration of the world into three ages; the age before the law, the age under the law, and the age of the Meffias; and this laft age they looked on with great difference from the reft, as the famous and glorious age, which was to be as it were the beginning of a new world: And therefore the Jews in their writings conftantly call it the feculum futurum, the age, or the world to come: And therefore the Apostle, in this epistle to the Hebrews, calls the state of the gospel by that name, as best known to them, Heb. ii. 5. But unto the Angels hath he not put in fubjection the world to come, whereof we now speak; that is, the law was given by the difpofition of Angels, but the difpenfation of the gospel, which is called the world to come, was managed and adminiftred by the Son of God. So likewife Heb. vi. 5. thofe miraculous powers which accompanied the firft preaching of the gofpel, are called durάues Tou μέλλοντος αιώνος, the powers of the world to come, that is, of the gospel-age.

Se

So that this laft age of the gospel, is that which the fcripture by way of eminency calls the age; thofe that went before are conftantly called dives, the ages, in the plural number. So we find, Eph. iii. 9. the gofpel is called the difpenfation of the mystery that was hid in God, and Twv diwvwv, from ages ; and you have the fame phrafe, Col. i. 26. Upon the fame account, the expiration of the Jewish state is in fcripture called the last times, and the last days, Heb. i. 2. But in thefe last days, God hath spoken unto us by his Son. 1 Cor. x. 11. These things are written for our admonition, upon whom Tà TEλn Tw davar, the ends of the ages are come. In the fame fenfe the Apostle, Heb. ix. 26. speaking of Chrift, fays, that he appeared ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αιώνων, at the end of the ages, to take away fin; that is, at the conclufion of the ages which had gone before, in the laft age. So that if we will be governed in the interpretation of this text, by the conftant ufe of this phrafe in fcripture, the letter of this promife will extend to the end of the world,

2. But however this be, it is certain that the reafon of this promife does extend to all thofe that fhould fucceed the Apoftles in their miniftry, to the end of the world: I will fuppofe now (to give the adverfaries their utmoft fcope) that which we have no reafon to grant, that the letter of this promife reacheth only to the Apostles and their age, and that our Saviour's meaning was no more but this, that he would fend down the Holy Ghost upon them in miraculous gifts, to qualify and enable them for the fpeedy planting and propagating of the gospel in the world, and that he would be with them till this work was done. Now fuppofing there were nothing more than this intended in the letter of it, this ought not much to trouble us, fo long as it is certain, that the reafon of it does extend to the fucceffors of the Apostles in all ages of the world. I do not mean, that the reafon of this promife does give us fufficient affurance, that God will affift the Teachers and Governors of his church in all ages, in the fame extraordinary manner as he did the Apostles, VOL. VI.

N

be.

« PreviousContinue »