The primitive christians had no stated revenue for their clergy. They enjoyed neither tithes, nor taxes, nor lands. In imitation of the Jewish establishment, they who waited at the altar were partakers with the altar.** When the people were to approach the altar and receive the sacred mysteries, they brought such a portion of the produce of their farms, or occupations, as their liberality prompted them to give, for the supply of the holy table, the support of the clergy, and relief of the poor. This was their offering; and without this offering, no one thought himself entitled to come, for none presumed to appear before the Lord empty ;t but a free-will offering accompanied the celebration of the holy communion, at least on festival days. To this custom the apostle alludes, in the passage lately cited, and also in another of his epistles, when he says, We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat, which serve the tabernacle'-an altar, by which, not the Jewish, but only the christian priesthood has a right to be supported.

Whether it would have been better to have continued this free and primitive method of supporting the clergy, may admit of a doubt. The manners of different ages and countries will be various: the ability and conveniency of the people ought to be regarded, and that mode adopted which is best accommodated to their situation. Only let him that is taught in the word, minister unto him that teacheth, in all good things; or, of all his good things. Let the clergy and their families be decently supported; and the people have a right to consult their own conveniency with regard to the mode, and their ability with respect to the quantity. Always remembering, that He which soweth sparingly, shall reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully, shall reap also bountifully. Nor be anxiously apprehensive that your liberality will bring you to poverty; for, 'God is able to make all grace abound towards you :'T God will be very gracious to you That ye always having all sufficiency in

:

* 1 Corinthians ix, 13. Galatians vi. 6.

† Deut. xvi. 16. 2 Corinthians ix. 6.

Hebrows xiii. 10. Verse 8.

all things, may abound to every good work.' Did you ever know liberality of this kind to bring poverty in its train? If a man give freely, and succeed in his affairs, how know you whether his success be not the blessing of God on his liberality? Or if he give grudgingly and meet with disasters, may they not be the frowns of providence on his stingy disposition?

Besides, the support of the clergy is an act of justice : It is the hire of their labour, and you cannot honestly withhold it. Yet God will consider and reward it, as mere bounty and liberality; for he is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labour of love, which love ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.?*

To God's grace and holy spirit I commend you; beseeching him, that as he ministereth seed to the sower,' he would both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness,' that being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness,' ye may glorify God' by your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and' by your liberal distribution unto them' who preach it, and unto all' who need. Amen.

DISCOURSE II.

PART I.

THE APOSTOLICAL COMMISSION.

JOHN XX. 21, 22, 23.

Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you. As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

HAVING, in the first part of the preceding discourse,

made some general remarks on the commission which, after his resurrection, our Saviour gave to his apostles, my present design is to consider that commission more particularly, and endeavour to ascertain what powers and privileges are contained in it. To bring what I have to say on the subject into some order, I shall inquire,

I. Into the meaning of those words of our Saviour to his apostles, As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.'

II. Into the meaning of his breathing on them, and saying, Receive ye the Holy Ghost.'

III. Into the meaning of his declaration to them, 'Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.'

I. I am to inquire into the meaning of the words of our Saviour to his apostles, As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.' And,

1. The Father sent him as a prophet to make known his will, and to do such miracles as were sufficient to establish his divine mission.

To declare the will of God is the proper business of prophets; and their distinguishing character is, that they speak not by their own will, but as they are moved by the Holy Ghost." Miracles, and foretelling future events, belong to this office, as its credentials, to gain attention and credit to the prophet's declarations. That our Saviour Christ did claim, and exercise this office, when in the world, might be proved by a great number of citations from the new testament. The two apostles who conversed with him on the road to Emmaus, without knowing him, speak of him as a prophet mighty in deed and word, before God and all the people.' He claimed the character to himself, when reading this passage from Isaiah, in the synagogue at Nazareth: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord :' He declared to the congregation,This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears' If those holy men deserved and obtained the name of prophets, who foretold the coming of that seed of the woman, who was to bruise the head of the serpent; to be a blessing to all nations; and to redeem Israel out of all his troubles; much more was he entitled to it who, being himself that blessed seed, came to bless the world, and redeem his people, by declaring that all the glorious prophecies which had gone before of him, were then in the act of being fulfilled in his own person. It was to prepare the way for the coming of this great Prophet-that he might be known and reverenced when he did come-that all the preceding prophets had been sent. To preach deliverance to the captives of satan, to proclaim the grand jubilee of rest and freedom † Luke xxiv, 19.

* 2 Peter i. 21. 18, 19, 21.

Isaiah lxi. 1. Luke iv.

from the servitude of sin, and to effect it, was his great business. To this he was anointed' of God with the Holy Ghost and with power."*

The power of working miracles and foretelling future events, I said, were necessary to procure credit to a prophet, and ascertain his divine mission. This power Jesus possessed in a more eminent degree, than all the prophets who went before him. They wrought miracles by a power infused into them by God. He wrought his miracles by his own divine energy, in consequence of his union with the Father, whose prophet he was. And though he always ascribed his doctrines and miracles to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost residing in him;t yet, he both taught, and wrought his miracles in his own name. Being himself God, in union with the Father, the power of the Godhead resided in him: Being the Christ, God and man united, he was anointed, that is consecrated, set apart and sent by the Father to be his prophet, and to declare his will. So that it is strictly true, that he taught in his own name, and wrought miracles by his own power, and yet did nothing but as the Father gave him commandment.‡

It does not appear that Christ did any miracles, or delivered any doctrines, till after his baptism, when the Holy Ghost, in a bodily shape like a dove, descended and abode upon him ;9 And a voice came from heaven which said, Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased.' This was his anointing or consecration: and, by the power of the Spirit which he then received, he was led into the wilderness to endure the temptations of the evil one-the adversary of God and man. Having proved himself victorious over all the attempts of the grand deceiver, who had beguiled Adam and all his descendants, he began to proclaim the gospel of peace and reconciliation with God; calling men to renounce their subjection to satan, and to fight against him; saying Repent, for the kingdom of heaven' the kingdom of the Redeemer

Acts x. 38.

xiv. 31.

Matt. xii. 28. John v. 36, and vii. 16. § Luke iii. 22. John i. 32.

+ Joha