injunctions respecting their food, their garments, the sowing of their fields, and several other matters, were to be observed."

of Jewish

cognised

In regard to regulations of this kind, our Lord Authority recognises the authority of the Jewish Rulers, as Rulers rebeing so far successors of Moses; for He tells by Christ. his hearers, "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses's seat; all, therefore, whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe, and do." And though He adds a caution not to " do after their works, for they say, and do not," He does not teach that their personal demerits, or even that gross abuse of their power, which He so strongly reprobates, could invalidate the legitimate exercise of that power. Indeed, since there is hardly any human Government that has not, at some time or other, abused, more or less, the power entrusted to it, to deny on that ground all claims whatever to submission, would be the very principle of anarchy.

power by

The Jewish Rulers went beyond their proper Abuse of province, when, instead of merely making such Jewish regulations as were necessary with a view to the due observance of the Mosaic Law, they super

"Those who can procure, or gain access to Dr. W. Wotton's Selections from the Mishna, will find in it much curious and interesting information relative to these and several other particulars, which throws great light on many passages of the

New Testament.

Rulers.

F

How the disciples would understand the Commission

added, on the authority of their supposed Tradition, commandments foreign to that Law; and, still more, evasions of the spirit of it.°

Jesus accordingly censures them severely, as "teaching for doctrines the commandments of men;" and again, as "making the Word of God of none effect, by their Tradition." But still He distinctly recognises their legitimate authority in making such regulations as were necessarily left to their determination.

§ 5. And his disciples, therefore, who heard both of these his declarations, could not have been at any loss to understand what He meant given them, by giving to themselves and the succeeding Officers of a Christian Church, the power to "bind and loose." He charged them to "teach every one to observe all things whatsoever He had commanded them;" promising to be "with them always, even to the end of the world;" and He also gave them the power of "binding and loosing;" saying, "whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;" (i. e. ratified by the divine sanction)" and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."

Power to

They would of course understand by this, not make regu- that they, or any of their successors, could have

lations.

authority to dispense with their Master's commandments,--to add to or alter the terms of Gospel-salvation,-to teach them, in short, not to "observe what He had commanded them,”— but, to enact, from time to time, to alter, to abrogate, or to restore, regulations respecting matters of detail, not expressly determined in Scripture, but which yet must be determined in some way or other, with a view to the good order of the Community, and the furtherance of its great objects.

So, also, we cannot suppose they would even Power of remitting suspect that they, or any mortal man, can have sins. power to forgive sins," as against God; that

66

a man could be authorized either to absolve the impenitent, or to shut out from divine mercy the penitent; or again, to read the heart, so as to distinguish between the two, without an express inspiration in each particular case.

And this express inspiration in particular cases, whatever may have been their original expectations, they must soon have learnt they were not to look for. They were to use their best discretion, to exercise due caution, in guarding against the admission of "false brethren ""deceitful workers,"-hypocritical pretenders to Christian faith and purity;-but they had not, universally at least, any supernatural safeguard against such hypocrisy.

The example of Simon Magus would alone show this, even if there were no others to be found. He was, we find, baptized along with the other Samaritans (Acts viii. 13), professing, as of course he must have done, sincere repentance and devotion to Christ and yet the Apostles find him, after this, to be still "in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." Acts viii. 21.

But still, the Gospel or good-tidings which they were authorized and enjoined to proclaim, being most especially tidings of "remission of sins" to all who should accept the invitation made to them by the preachers of that Gospel, they might properly be said to "remit" or "retain " according as they admitted to Baptism the attentive and professedly-penitent and believing hearers, and left out of the number of the subjects of Christ's kingdom those who neglected or opposed Him." "Repent and be baptized every

" Of course, if there had been a distinct divine appointment of such a sacrament as that of Penance, as it is called (including private Confession and priestly Absolution) we should have been bound to regard that in the same light as we do the sacraments of Baptism and of the Eucharist. Without presuming to set limits to the divine favour, we feel bound to resort to, and to administer, these, as appointed means of grace. But if there had not been that divine appointment of those sacraments, a Church would have no more authority to confer on them a sacramental character, than on the pretended sacrament of Penance.

:

one of you for the remission of sins" is accordingly the kind of language in which they invite their hearers every where to join the Body of their Master's People; and yet it is certain the remission of sins was conditional only, and dependent on a condition of which they-the Apostles themselves-had no infallible knowledge; the condition being, the real sincerity of that penitence and faith which the converts appeared and professed to have."

nity may

§ 6. But although this is the only sense A Commuin which the Apostles, or of course, any of their pardon successors in the Christian ministry, can be against empowered to "forgive sins" as against God;

i.e.

i. e. though they can only pronounce and proclaim his forgiveness of all those who come to Him through Christ, and assure each individual of his acceptance with God, supposing him to be one of "those who truly repent and unfeignedly believe," yet offences as against a Community, may, it is plain, be pardoned, or pardon for them withheld, by that Community, or by those its officers who duly represent it.

offences

itself.

for Eccle

Whether our Lord intended, in what He said Penalties of " remitting and retaining sins," to include siastical (as seems to me the probable supposition) this

See Speech of Bishop Stanley in the House of Lords, May 26, 1840.

offences.