CHAPTER V.

THE COMMISSION GIVEN BY CHRIST TO HIS APOSTLES AND THEIR SUCCESSORS EXPLAINED-Reflection of an ancient Christian Writer on the mode of bringing Mankind to the certain Knowledge of Religious Truth.

THE high commission which Christ gave to his ministers, to promulgate his law, and to enforce the observance of its precepts, is recorded in the 28th chapter of St. Matthew, and deserves particular attention.

The eternal Son of God, having by his death made atonement for sin, put an end to the old law, with its priesthood and sacrifices, and confirmed the new, by the sprinkling of his own blood, the blood of the new and eternal Testament; having instituted his sacrifice and sacraments; having fully instructed his Apostles in his heavenly doctrines, precepts, and ordinances; and given them the plenitude of sacerdotal powers, for the work of his ministry-assembles his Apostles around him, previously to his withdrawing his visible presence from the earth, by his ascension into heaven, and addresses himself to them in these words: all power is given to me, in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations: baptizing them, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold, I am with you, all days, even to the consummation of the world.Verses 18, 19, 20.

Christ here, in the first place, proclaims his own supreme power and authority: all power is given to me, in heaven and in earth. By thus proclaiming his own power and authority, of which he had given them an incontestable proof, by his resurrection from the dead, he shews his ministers from what a high origin all their spiritual authority is derived. By this declaration, he excites their confidence in

him, inasmuch as by it he assures them, that no power, not all the combined efforts of earth and hell, can defeat or prevent the execution of his designs, in the establishment and preservation of his church; and that whatever difficulties or opposition they may experience in the execution of their high commission, and in the performance of the duties of their ministry, he can enable them to overcome them all.

He then gives them their commission-Go YE, thereforesent and commissioned, not by Kings, or Emperors, but by me, the spiritual and immortal King of my church; to whom all power is given, in heaven and in earth. Go ye, thereforeTEACH ALL NATIONS; BAPTIZING THEM, &c. As if he should have said, to you I have delivered my whole law; to you I have made known all that it is my will and command that men should believe and do, in order to obtain salvation through me: I charge you to go, to preach the happy tidings of salvation to all nations, and to propose the conditions, on which it is offered; to teach them faithfully every thing that I have delivered to you; to administer my sacraments to them; and to enforce the belief and observance of all my doctrines, precepts, and institutions, in every part of the world. Teaching them (i. e. all nations) to observe ALL THINGS,

WHATSOEVER I HAVE COMMANDED YOU AND BEHOLD, I AM WITH YOU ALL DAYS, EVEN TO THE CONSUMMATION OF THE WORLD. As if he had said, the work of the ministry, to which I send you, in order to promote the glory of my Father, and the sanctification of souls, is my own work. Without me, you can do nothing in it. I will, therefore, be perpetually with you in the execution of it. Though I am going to withdraw my visible presence, yet I will, at all times, be with you, in the performance of the duties of the ministry, by my divine presence; and by my special guidance and assistance-BEHOLD I AM WITH YOU-you will die, but the ministry which I have established shall never die; it shall remain in its full powers, till the consummation of the world. The work, to which I send you, shall constantly be carried on, by men, who shall be chosen to succeed you. Therefore, in sending you to execute this commission, I send the whole body of my ministers, who shall derive their mission from me, through you, and through your legitimate successors, to the end of time. In commanding you, I command them,

to teach all nations; in commanding you, I command them to baptize all nations; in promising to be with you, I promise to be with them, in the work of the ministry. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

Such was the order established by Christ in delivering his new law; such was the commission, which he gave to his Apostles, and to their successors, for the promulgation of his law, and of the conditions of salvation to all nations. Such was the promise of his special assistance, for the preservation of the integrity of his truths, precepts, and institutions, through all ages. The whole originated in the wisdom, and authority, of God himself. It was revealed by the divine authority of Christ. It was to be promulgated by the divinely established and divinely supported authority of the Apostles, and of their lawful successors, to the end of time.

Hence it appears, farther, that the method, which was ordained by Christ, for the promulgation of his law, was not the reading of the Scriptures, much less the interpretation of them, by the rule of each man's private judgment. For neither in the passage quoted from Matthew xxviii, nor in any part of the sacred writings, do we find that, by the institution or order of Christ, his law was to be promulgated by the circulation and reading of the Scriptures. Christ did not tell the Apostles to send bibles, but to go themselves to all nations. He commanded them to teach and to baptize. The Scriptures could not do this.

Therefore, according to the positive ordinance of Christ, it is by the authority of the testimony and teaching of his Apostles, and of their lawful successors in the ministry, to the end of the world, that all nations are to be brought to the certain knowledge of those doctrines, precepts, and ordinances, which Christ delivered and commanded all to believe and observe.

This principle of spiritual authority, and of public testimony, is in its nature, calculated to produce unity in faith, uniformity in religious observances, and a settled conviction and certainty of truth, in the minds of men. Whilst the method of determining what are the revealed doctrines, precepts, and ordinances of Christ, by private judgment, or by the private interpretation of Scripture, must lead to divisions and contradictions in matters of faith, to numberless in

consistent forms of worship, to uncertainty in religion, even to infidelity.

A very ancient, and elegant Christian writer, admiring the excellence of the truths of Christianity, and observing, that many millions of men, of different dispositions, conditions, and nations, were united in the uniform belief of the same doctrines, proposed this question to himself:-“ Why none of the schools of the ancient philosophers had ever succeeded, in bringing the world to the knowledge of such sublime and interesting truths?"-He answered the question by saying, in the first place, that there was not any one of the schools of the philosophers that knew these truths; consequently, that they could not teach them to others. Secondly, that if there had been any philosopher so happy, as to have obtained the knowledge of these sublime doctrines, yet he would not have had sufficient authority over the judgments of other men, to bring them to the belief of what he taught. The method of teaching such doctrines by discussion and scientific demonstration, would have been useless; especially with regard to the great bulk of mankind. Nor would he have had any better prospect of success with the learned; for, according to the different views they might take of the same question, they would come to different conclusions upon it; and one learned man would be apt to think his own judgment as good, as that of another. In fact, each sect of philosophers has maintained its own peculiar doctrine, concerning truth and happiness; but no one sect could ever bring the others, or the world to the belief of its own tenets.

But, after philosophy had given proof of its contradictions, of its folly, and weakness; behold! a Teacher of a different character appears; and by his method of teaching, soon unites the world in the uniform belief of the same sublime doctrines. Christ appears on earth. He announces that he is sent from God, to teach truth, and the way of happiness to men. He proclaims that he is the Son of God, full of truth and grace. He proves the divinity of his mission; and his right to the title he claimed, by the most evident miracles, which carry irresistible conviction to the mind.

With this established character, he taught his doctrines; not by discussion, but by authority. The people were in admiration at his doctrine. For he was teaching them, as ONE

HAVING POWER.

Matt. vi. 28 and 29. He delivered his doctrine as the word or GOD. This was the strongest motive and evidence of truth, that could be proposed to the mind of

man.

Christ communicated the whole body of his doctrines to his Apostles. He commanded them to teach to all nations, what they had heard from him. He commanded them to teach his doctrines, not by discussion, but by authority. In order to establish the credit of their authority, he gave them power to work miracles, as convincing proofs, that they were instructed and commissioned by him. The Apostles taught the doctrines of Christ, not as their own discoveries or inventions, but as the word of God (1 Thess. ii. 13), which they had received from him. The world received them as such. Thus, what the wisdom of philosophy could never do, the foolishness of the gospel has effected. It has brought the world to the unity of truth, and to the true way to happiness.