i4 A DISCOURSE ON THE 'HOLY SPiR1T, hat/i given or thought meet to make use offm the edfca- lion ofthe church. -I shalt give a brief description of it in some few generai instances: (1.) It was a power of administering all the ordinances of Christ in the way and manner of his appointment. Everyapostle, in all places, had power to preach the word, to administer the sacra- ments, te'ordain elders, and to do whatever else belong- ed unto the worshipof the gospel. But yet they had not power to do any of these things any otherwise but as the Lord Christ had appointed them to be done. They could not baptize any but believers and their seed, Acts viii. 36, 87, 38. Acts xvi. 15. They could not admini- ster the Lord's supper unto any but the church, and in the church, 1 Cor. x. 20, 22, 23, 24. chap: x. 17. They could not ordain elders, but by the suffrage and election of the people, Acts xiv. 23. Those indeed who pretend to be their successors, plead for such a right in themselves uhto some, if not all gospel- administrations, as that they may take liberty to dispose of them at their pleasure by their sole authority, without any regard un- to the rule of all holy duties in particular. (2_) It was a power of executing all the laws of Christ, with the pe- nalties annexed unto their disobedience. We have, saith the apostle, in a readiness wherewith to revenge all dis- obedience, 2 Cor. x. 6. And this principally, consisted in the power of excommunication, or the judiciary ex- cision of any person or persons from the society of the faithful, and visiblebody of Christ in the world. Now, although this power were absolutely in each apostle to- wards all offenders in every church; whence Paul affirms, that he had himself delivered Hymeneus and Alexander untoSatan, 1 Tim. i. 20. Yet they did not exercise this power withoutthe concurrence and consent of the church front whence an offender was to be cut off; because that was the mind of Christ, and that which the nature of the ordinance did require, 1 Cor. v. 3, 4, 5. (3.) Their whole power was spiritual, and not carnal. It respected the souls, minds, and consciences of men alone as its object, and not their bodies, or goods, or liberties in this world. Those extraordinary instances of Ananias and Sapphira in their sudden death, of Elymas in his blindness, were only miraculous operations of God, in testifying against their sin, and proceeded not from any apostolical power in the discharge of their office. But, as unto that kind of power which nowbath devoured all ether appearances of church authority, and-in the sense of the most is only significant, namely, to fine, punish, imprison, banish, kill, and destroy men, women, Christ- ians, believers, persons of an unbiameable useful con- versation, with the worst of carnal weapons and savage cruelty of mind, as they were never intrusted with it, nor any thing of the like kind, so they have sufficiently manifested how their holy souls did abhor the thoughts of such Antichristian power and practices; though in others the mystery of iniquity begun to work in their days. 11. The ministry of the LXX also, which the Lord Christ sent forth afterwards, to go two and two beforehis face into every city and placewhither himselfwould come, was, in like manner, temporary, that is, it was subser- vient and commensurate unto his own personal ministry in the flesh, Lukex. I, 2, 3. These arecommonly called Evangelists, from the general natureof their work, but were not those extraordinary officers, which were after- wards in the Christian church underthat title and appel- lation. But there was some analogy and proportion be- tween the one and the other: for, as these first seventy seem to have had an inferior work, and subordinate unto that of the twelve in their ministry unto the church of the Jews, during the time of the Lord Christ his con- verse among them; so those Evangelists that afterwards were appdinted, were subordinate unto them in their evangelical apostleship. And thesealso as theywere im- mediately called unto their employment by the Lord Je- sus, so their workbeing extraordinary, they wereendued with extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, as ver. 9, 17, 19. 12. In the gospel church.stato there were Evangelists also, as they are mentioned, Eph. iv. 11. Acts xxi. 2. 2 Tim. iv. 5. Gospellers, preachers of the gospel, di- stinct from the ordinary teachers ofthe churches. Things, I confess, are but obscurely delivered concerning this sort of men in scripture, their office being not designed unto a continuance. Probably the institution of it was traduced from the temporary ministry of the seventy be- fore-mentioned. That they were the same persons con- tinued in their first office, as the apostles were, is uncer- tain and improbable; though it be not that some of them might be called thereunto; as Philip, and. Timothy, and Titus, were Evangelists that were not of that first num- ber. Their especial call is not mentioned, nor their num- ber anywhere intimated. That their call was extraordi-
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