But when the personal ministry of Christ came to a close, the Gospel they were thenceforward to preach was the good tidings of that Kingdom not approaching merely, but actually begun,—of the first Christian Community set on foot, of a kingdom which their Master had "appointed unto them :" thenceforward, they were not merely to announce that kingdom, but to establish it, and invite all men to enrol themselves in it they were not merely to make known, but to execute, their Master's design, of commencing that Society of which He is the Head, and which He has promised to be with always, even unto the end of the world."

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of a Chris

We find Him, accordingly, directing them not Institution only to "go into all the world, and preach to tian Society. every creature," but further, to "teach" ("make

It is likely that the Doxology at the end of the Lord's Prayer, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory," (which all the soundest critics, I believe, are now agreed, does not exist in the best MSS. of the Gospels,) was adopted by the Disciples very soon after our Lord's departure from earth. At the time when He first taught the prayer to his Disciples, it would have been premature to speak of the heavenly kingdom in the present tense, as actually established. They were taught to pray for its coming as a thing future. At a later period, it was no less proper to allude to it as already existing; and the prayer for its "coming," would be, from the circumstances of the case, a prayer for its continued extension and firmer hold on men's hearts.

d See a Sermon by Dr. Dickinson, (now Bishop of Meath,) on our Lord's two charges to his disciples.

disciples of," as in the margin of the Bible)" all nations;" admitting them as members of the Body of Disciples, by "baptizing them into the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost."

Be

Of his design to establish what should be emphatically a Social Religion,-a "Fellowship" or "Communion of Saints," there can be, I think, no doubt in the mind of any reflecting reader of our sacred books. Besides our Lord's general promise of "coming unto, and dwelling in, any man who should love Him and keep his saying," there is a distinct promise also of an especial presence in any Assembly-even of "two or three-gathered together in his name.” sides the general promises made to prayer,-to the prayer of an individual "in the closet,"there is a distinct promise also to those who shall "agree together touching something they shall ask." And it is in conformity with his own institution that Christians have, ever since, celebrated what they designate as, emphatically, the Communion, by "meeting together to break bread," in commemoration of his redemption of his People.

е

"In the name," is a manifest mis-translation, originating, apparently, with the Vulgate Latin, which has "in nomine." The preposition, in the original, is not iv but eis, "into" or "to."

His design, in short, manifestly was, to adapt his Religion to the social principles of man's nature; and to bind his disciples, throughout all ages, to each other, by those ties of mutual attachment, sympathy, and co-operation, which in every human Community and Association, of whatever kind, are found so powerful.

of a Com

§ 2. Obvious, and indeed trite, as the remark Properties may appear, most persons are apt, I think, not munity. sufficiently to consider what important conclusions result from it;-how much is implied in the constituting of a Community. It is worth while, therefore, to pause at this point, and inquire what are the inherent properties and universal character naturally and necessarily belonging to any regularly-constituted Society, as such, for whatever purpose formed. For I think it will appear, on a very simple examination, that several points which have been denied or disregarded by some, and elaborately, but not always satisfactorily maintained by others, arise, as obvious consequences, out of the very intrinsic character, the universal and necessary description of a regular community.

It seems to belong to the very essence of a A CommuCommunity, that it should have-1st, Officers of quires

nity re

1

See Bampton Lectures for the year 1822, Lect. I.

RULES, and

OFFICERS, Some kind; 2dly, Rules enforced by some kind of penalties; and, 3dly, Some power of admitting MEMBERS. and excluding persons as Members.

power to admit

For, 1st, whatever may be the character, and whatever the proposed objects, of a regularlyconstituted Community, Officers of some kind are essential to it. In whatever manner they may be appointed,-whether by hereditary succession, or by rotation,-or by election of any kind,whatever be the number or titles of them, and whatever the distribution of their functions,— (all which are matters of detail,) Officers of some kind every Community must have. And these, or some of these, while acting in their proper capacity, represent the Community; and are, so far, invested with whatever powers and rights belong to it; so that their acts, their rights, their claims, are considered as those of the whole Body. We speak, e. g. indifferently of this or that having been done by the Athenians, the Romans, the Carthaginians; or by the Athenian, the Roman, or Carthaginian Government or Rulers. And so also when we speak of the acts of some University, or of the Governors of that

g And it is to be observed that it makes no difference, as to this point, whether the Governors are elected by the governed, and in any degree restrained by them, or are hereditary and unlimited. In all cases, the established and recognised Rulers of any Community are considered as representing it.

University, we are using two equivalent expressions.

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binding on

bers.

2dly. It seems equally essential to every Com- Bye-laws munity that it should have certain Regulations munity or Bye-laws, binding on its own members. And its memif it be not wholly subjected to the control, and regulated by the directions of some extraneous power, but is in any degree an independent Community, it must so far, have power to enact, and abrogate,—to suspend, alter, and restore, bye-laws, for itself; namely, such regulations, extending to matters intrinsically indifferent, as are not at variance with the enactments of any superior authority. The enforcement also of the regulations of a Community by some kind of Penalties, is evidently implied by the very existence of Regulations. To say of any Community that its Laws are valid, and binding on its members, is to say that the violators of them may justly be visited with Penalties: and to recognise Officers in any Community is to recognise as among its Laws, submission to those Officers while in the exercise of their legitimate functions.

power be

Political

In the case of Political Communities, which is Coercive a peculiar one, inasmuch as they necessarily ex-longs to ercise an absolutely-coercive power,-the Penalties Communimust be determined according to the wisdom and justice of each Government, and can have no

ties.