of a thousand. Where do we read of fending to more than one prophet of the Lord, upon any matter, under the Old Testament? Indeed, we read of a great number of falfe prophets being assembled, to give fome countenance to a lye. But, if the church at Antioch had wanted an authoritative determination never fo much, they would never fure have fent to any more than the twelve apoftles. Whereas they fent to the apoftles, elders, and brethren. Indeed, "the apoftles " and elders” are the only perfons mentioned as fent to. But it is plain it was understood to be to the brethren too; from the brethren, or the "whole multitude," meeting together, and from the answer being drawn up in their name. It was ufual to attribute that to the apostles, who prefided in all debates and tranfactions in the church, where they were prefent, that was done by the whole affembly: as a Sheriff or Mayor is faid to return members to Parliament, he being the officer of the affembly, though others return, or join in the return, with him. The inftance, Acts vi. is full to this purpose. And St. Luke probably mentions the elders here, as fent to as well as the apoftles, because they used to prefide in the abfence of the apostles.

And if we could fuppofe that an authoritative answer was to have been fent from the * 1 Kings xxii. 6, 22. y Ver. 2. M 3

whole

whole church; yet we cannot fuppofe they would have debated what that answer should be: but that one of them, under inspiration, as the mouth of the reft, would have delivered the mind and will of God; faying, " Thus "faith the Lord:" or, "Thus faid the "Lord" or, "This is the mind of Chrift:" "These things faith he that is holy and true; or "the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the "beginning of the creation of God:" or, "We have the mind of Chrift" or, " Thus "faith the Spirit:" or, fome of the other forms of fpeech, used by the apostles on other like occafions. Whereas their letter runs thus: "That it seemed good" (that is, reafo nable) unto them," (they do not say, that it feemed good to the Holy Ghost and to them (as they do afterwards to a particular purpose, and for a different reafon)" being "affembled" (that is, debating) "with one "accord," (that is, being unanimoufly of opi ́nion from the debate). And to make it plain that they defigned no authoritative determination, James declares against any fuch; or againft making any new law, or order. For his fentence was, "not to trouble the Gen

tiles," (that is, not to lay any new injunc tion on them, as thofe had gone about to do,

2 Acts xx. 35.

1 Cor. ii. 16.

d Ver. 19.

a Rev. ii. 14.
C 1 Tim. iv. 1.

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who had gone from them to the church of
Antioch, “troubling them," rä sisära
aulois, “but to write to them" (fo we render
it; it had, perhaps, been better to have ren-
dered it," to write a letter to them")" that it
"seemed good to the Holy Ghost" (in the
cafe of Cornelius, by falling immediately on
him, and those that were with him), and
(it therefore did) "to them" (the words
"for it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and
"to us," naturally carry in them an inference
which the affembly made from fomething the
Holy Ghost had done), " to lay no greater
"burthen upon them, than thofe neceffary
"things;" which they themselves, therefore,
must agree,
had been laid on them before:
"That ye abftain, &c. From which things
"if ye keep yourselves" (diamples, in the
present tenfe, fhewing it, at that time, to be a
law), as you yourselves know you are already
obliged to do, "ye fhall do well. Fare ye
"well." This is not the ftyle of a canon.
That must have been, as St. Paul fays in ano-
ther cafe: "And if any man comply not
"with this our commandment, let him be
"Anathema Maranatha :" or, "If any one'
❝ obey not our word by this epistle, note him,
" and have no company with him o,

And this

This was the letter they wrote. they send by chofen meffengers, who were to fpeak to them more fully by word of mouth. Indeed, the words our tranflators have used concerning this letter feem very strongh; " and

as they (Paul and Barnabas) went through "the cities, they delivered them the decrees "for to keep that were ordained of the apof"tles and elders which were at Jerufalem." But τὰ δόγμαζα τὰ κεκριμένα, which we tranflate" the decrees ordained," will bear a verfion that carries much lefs of an air of power and authority along with it; and may be rendered "the opinions which were agreed

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by," or "the unanimous judgement of, the "apostles and elders at Jerufalem." Or it may be rather, the adjudged laws by the

26

apostles and elders at Jerufalem." The fenfe "and meaning of which is, "the judgement "or opinion of the apostles and elders about

66

thefe laws;" namely, of Mofes, relating to the profelytes of the gate. This rendering would be more fuitable to a letter, or epiítle, that conveyed this decree; and to their fending Judas and Silas" (with Paul and Barnabas) to enforce it; who were "to tell them "the fame things more fully by mouth ;" and being "prophets to exhort them" to comply with this advice. Whereas there had been

no need to have sent a letter and meffengers, if it had been a decree in the ftrict and proper sense of the word. But our tranflators. feem to have had the idea of a council framing a canon always before their eyes, whilft they tranflated these two chapters; and therefore make James fay, "Wherefore my fentence "is;" fuppofing him, as Prefident of this council, to pronounce the decree. Whereas he does but fum up the debate in his speech, adding proper arguments of his own; and then adds, διὸ ἐγὼ κρίνω, which might have been better rendered, "Wherefore my opini"on is."

So that this decree was an unanimous anfwer to an enquiry about a matter of fact from the church of Antioch: and was at the fame time an unanimous advice, formed upon a debate, carrying its own reafons and evidence along with it, to all those to whom the letter was addreffed; and to be more fully explained and evinced by the meffengers who were fent with it. And, indeed, as we have no instance of any abfolute decree, or injunction, in the New Teftament, from any apoftle or apostles, but from the illumination they had received, or from immediate revelation, and speaking from one or the other as the ancient prophets