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PRELIMINARY ESSAYS.

ESSAY I

Of the Commiffion given by Christ to his Apostles; and of the power by which he fitted them for executing that commiffion and of the nature and authority of their writings.

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THE HE Lord Jefus before his death fpake in this manner to his apostles, John xvi. 12. I have yet many things to say to cannot bear to them now. 13. Howbeit, when the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. From this it is evident, that while on earth, Jefus did not declare the whole doctrines of the gofpel, but left them to be revealed by the Holy Ghost, to the perfons who, after his departure, were to make them known to the world. In this method of revealing the gospel, there was both dignity and propriety. For the Son of God came from heaven, not to make the gospel revelation, but to be the fubject of it, by doing and fuffering all that was neceffary to procure the falvation of mankind

But, although it was not our Lord's intention to make a complete revelation of the gospel in perfon, he occasionally delivered many of its doctrines and precepts in the hearing of his followers, that, when the perfons commiffioned by him to preach the gospel in its full extent, executed their commission, the world, by observing the perfect conformity of their doctrine with his, might entertain no doubt of their authority and inspiration, in those farther discoveries which they made, concerning the matters of which Christ himself had spoken nothing.

The Son of God, in prosecution of the purpose for which he took on him the human nature, came to John at Jordan, and was baptized. To this rite he fubmitted, not as it was the bap

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tifm of repentance, for he was perfectly free from fin; but as it prefigured his dying and rifing again from the dead, and because he was, on that occafion, to be declared God's beloved Son by a voice from heaven, and by the defcent of the Holy Ghost npon him, in the view of the multitudes who were affembled to John's baptifm.

Having received these miraculous atteftations, Jefus began his miniftry; and from that time forth fhewed himself to Ifrael as their long-expected deliverer, and, in the hearing of the people, fpake many difcourfes, in which he corrected the errors of the Jewish teachers, and explained many of the doctrines and precepts of true religion. And while he thus employed himself, he confirmed his doctrine, and proved himself to be the Son of God, by working great miracles in all parts of Judea, and even in Jerufalem itself. But the chiefs of the Jews, envying his reputation with the people, laid hold on him, and condemning him for calling himself the Son of God, constrained Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, to put him to death. But whilst the Jews, with wicked hands, crucified Jefus, his death, by the fovereign appointment of God, became an atonement for the fin of the world. And, to wipe away the ftain which the Jews endeavoured to fix on Jefus as a deceiver, by putting him to death, God raised him from the dead on the third day, according to Chrift's own prediction, and thereby declared him, in the moft illuftrious manner, his Son. After his refurrection, Jefus fhewed himself alive to many witneffes: and, having remained on earth forty days, a fufficient time to prove the truth of his refurrection, he afcended into heaven, in the presence of his difciples, who were affured, by the attending angels, that he would return from heaven in like manner as they had seen him go away; namely, at the end of the world.

I. The illuftrious display just now defcribed, which Jesus made on earth of his glory, as the Son of God, by his virtues, his miracles, his fufferings, his refurrection, and his afcenfion, was intended, not folely for the people before whom it was exhibited, but for all mankind. And, therefore, that the knowedge of it might not be confined to the Jews, but spread through the whole world, and continued in it to the end, Jefus, in the be

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ginning of his ministry, chose twelve of his difciples, and ordained them to be with him, that they might hear all that he should speak, and fee all that he should do for the falvation of mankind; and that, as eye-witneffes of these things, they might report them to the world, with every circumftance of credibility. Thefe witneffes Jefus named apoftles, or perfons fent forth by him, and appointed them to bear that name always, that when they published his history, bare witness to his refurrection, and preached falvation to them who believed, all might be fenfible that they acted by commission and authority from him. And, to prevent any error that might arife in the execution of this office, from the failure of their memory, he made them the following promises: John xiv. 16. I will pray the father, and he fhall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. 17. Even the Spirit of truth; for he dwelleth with you, and fhall be in you. 26. The comforter, which is the Holy Ghoft, whom the Father will fend in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have faid unto you: And John xvi. 13. Will guide you into all truth: Befides bringing to your remembrance the things I have said to you, he will give you the knowledge of the whole gospel scheme. And, because many of the doctrines of the gofpel were darkly re vealed, and many of the particulars of Chrift's life were in diverfe manners foretold in the writings of Mofes and the prophets, Jesus opened the understanding of his apostles, that they might understand the fcriptures; Luke xxiv. 15.

Having in this manner educated and prepared the twelve, Jefus, before his afcenfion, declared to them the purpose for which he had called them to attend him during his ministry, and explained to them their duty as apostles. Acts i. 8. Ye shall be witnesses unto me in Jerufalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. Then gave them their commiffion in the following words: Mark xvi. 15. Go ye therefore and teach all nations. He that believeth and is baptized fhall be faved. But he that believeth not fhall be damned. And that the things which they should teach might gain entire credit, in addition to what he had promised formerly, (Luke xxi. 15. Behold I will give you a mouth, and wisdom which all your adver

faries fhall not be able to gainsay nor refift ;) he now told them, Luke xxiv. 29. Behold I fend the promise of my Father upon you. But tarry ye in the city of Jerufalem, until ye be endowed with power from on high. on high. And added, Mark xvi. 17. Thefe figns fhall follow them that believe; in my name fball they caft out devils; they fball Speak with new tongues. 18. They fhall take up ferpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them. They shall lay bands on the fuck, and they fhall recover. 19. So, then, after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and fat on the right hand of God. Such was the commiffion which Chrift gave to his apoftles, and fuch the fupernatural powers which he promised to beftow on them, to fit them for executing it with fuccefs.

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But one of the apoftles, Judas by name, having fallen from his office by tranfgreffion, the eleven judged it necessary to supply his place; and for that purpose chose Matthias by lot. In this, however, they acted, not by the direction of the Holy Ghoft, for he was not yet given to them, but merely by the dictates of human prudence, which, on that occafion, seems to have carried them too far. No man, nor body of men whatever, could, by their defignation, confer an office, whofe authority bound the confciences of all men, and whofe duties could not be performed without the gifts of infpiration and miracles. To ordain an apofile belonged to Chrift alone, who, with the appointment, could also give the fupernatural powers neceflary to the function. Some time, therefore, after the election of Matthias, Jefus himself feems to have fuperfeded it, by appointing another to be his apostle and witness in the place of Judas. In the choice of this new apostle, Jefus had a view to the converfion of the Gentiles: which, of all the fervices allotted to the apoftles, was the most dangerous and difficult. For the perfon engaged in that work had to contend with the heathen priefts, whose office and gains being annihilated by the spreading of the gospel, it was to be expected that they would oppofe its preachers with an extreme rage. He had to contend, likewise, with the unbelieving Jews living in the heathen countries, who would not fail to inflame the idolatrous multitude against any one who fhould preach fals vation to the Gentiles, without requiring them to obey the law of Mofes. The philofophers too were to be encountered, who,

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