mon appellation of difciples, as far as I can

remember.

From the time that the apoftles returned to Jefus, and told him all that they had done", we do not read of their doing any thing but accompanying, or continuing, with Jefus, and then being scattered on his being apprehended; till they being again affembled on the first day of the week after his crucifixion, the very day that Jefus rose from the dead, Jefus at evening ftanding in the midst of them, fays to them, "as my Father "fent me, even fo fend I you;" and when he had faid this, "he breathed on them, and “said, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose "foever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto "them; and whofe foever fins ye retain, they 66 are retained" Chrift had indeed foretold them, that they fhould have fuch powers, a little before his death P; but he does but foretell it; as appears from its being faid to them in the future tense, " Verily, I fay unto you, "whatsoever ye fhall bind on earth, shall be "bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye fhall "loofe on earth, fhall be loofed in heaven." And though when he now appears to the apoftles on the day of his refurrection, and breathes on them, and fays, in the present tenfe, "Receive ye the Holy Ghoft;" yet he m Luke ix. 10. Matt. xxvi. 31. Mark xiv. 27. John John xx. 19. 21—24. P Matt. xviii. 18.

xvi. 32.

66

does

does not then actually communicate it, but only affures them, by this vifible fign, that he will do it, and do it foon; and prefigures the manner how he will do it, namely, by the found, as it were, of a mighty rushing wind. That expreffions used by our Saviour, in the present tenfe, fometimes fignify a future time only, though but at a small dif tance, may be seen John xiii. 31, 32. He gives them the like commiffion Matt. xxviii. 19. "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, ❝and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft." And Mark xvi. 15. "And he faid unto them, ❝ Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel unto every creature."

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66

And as the former commiffion was but a temporary one, and of fhort continuance; fo this was never to cease, but with their lives; as we shall see more fully hereafter.

But though Jefus gave them their commiffion for life, in thefe different ways and terms of expreffion, yet he faw fit to respite the execution of it, till the defcent of the Holy Ghoft; for fo St, Luke expreffly tells us in his gofpel, that when Jefus had told the apostles, that "repentance and remiffion "of fins fhould be preached in his name

แ

among all nations, beginning at Jerufa"lem;" he added, "And behold I fend

• Acts i. I.

7

"the

ye

"the promife of my Father upon you; but "tarry ye in the city of Jerufalem until "be endued with power from on high":" and fo Acts i. 4, 5. Jefus being affembled with the apoftles, "commanded them that they "fhould not depart from Jerufalem, but "wait for the promise of the Father, which, "faith he, ye have heard of me; for John truly baptized with water, but ye fhall be

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baptized with the Holy Ghoft not many "days hence." And ver. 8. " And ye fhall "receive power, after that the Holy Ghost "is come upon you; and (then) ye fhall "be witneffes unto me both in Jerufalem, "and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto "the uttermoft parts of the earth."

After this we find they returned unto Jerufalem, but continued in their upper room till the Holy Ghoft came upon them, and then firft began to execute the new commiffion, which they had received from Christ after his refurrection. Jefus was “declared "to be the Son of God," the Lord and Heir of all things, when he was raised from the dead. But he was not actually invefted with this fupreme power till his afcenfion: fuitably hereunto Jefus before his afcenfion deelares, that the twelve should be his apostles,

fhould "go and teach all nations, baptizing "them, &c." but they were not actually to do it till the pouring out of the Holy Ghoft. The Father had indeed appointed Jefus a kingdom long before Jefus had appointed them that kingdom, a little before his fufferings; but he could not invest them with the power that was neceffary for their administering it, till he himself was invested with all power; nor could he fend forth his minifters and ambaffadors till he was exalted to be both Lord and Christ; nor endue them with the promise of the Father till he had firft received it: but as foon as he was feated on David's throne, and had received the promife of the Father, and had fhed down that on his apostles which the multitude faw and heard on the day of Pentecoft, they imme diately began to execute the commiffiom for life which they had received. And thus it was after Chrift's afcending up on high, that "he gave gifts unto men: and that he "fome apoftles as well as fome prophets, "fome evangelifts, and fome paftors and "teachers to the church. And as they now first began to execute the commiffion for life, which they had received; fo they never ceafed executing it as long as they lived. And from this time forth they are conftantly dif

2

× Luke xxii. 29.

Eph. iv. 8; 11,
6

y Acts ii. 33.

gave

tinguished

tinguished, by the name of apoftles, from the other disciples of Chrift; from elders and brethren; as well as from prophets, evangelifts, teachers, and other minifters of the church.

And now they come to be apostles, in the moft proper and diftinguishing sense of the word: being fent, not only to the Jews as they were before; but " to all nations, and "to every creature b; or, as our Saviour fays Acts i. 8. "to be witneffes to him in Jerufa“lem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria,

and to the uttermoft parts of the earth.' Whereas the feventy had been fent before, with as full a commiffion to all intents and purposes, as their first commiffion was; which, though temporary, as the first commiffion of the apostles also was, yet seems to have been of about as long a continuance as the other.

I fhall therefore only confider apostles as acting under this commiffion. And the rather, because Matthias, one of the twelve apostles of the Jews, and Paul and Barnabas, the only apostles of the Gentiles, never had the former commiffion; and yet were apostles as well as the eleven who had had it.

The more general notion of an apostle in this view, is, that he is "a fervant or minif❝ter of God, in the kingdom which he has a Matt. xxviii. 19. b Mark xvi. 15.

❝ fet