Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. CHAP. And while he blessed them, a cloud received him out of their sight, and they worshipped him; and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and continued 9. there with one accord until the day of Pentecost.

Acts i. 8,

IT

CHAPTER III.

The Institution of the Primitive Church.

Tis evident from the scriptures, that the apostles of our Lord and Saviour, had received no real spiritual understanding of the nature of his kingdom, until they were baptized with the Holy Ghost.

2. Although it is written, that John was filled with the Holy Ghost, that Zechariah and Elizabeth were filled with the Holy Ghost, and that the prophets and holy men of God in old time, spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost; yet after all this, it was said that the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that John v. Jesus was not yet glorified.

3. When therefore, the prophets or holy men of God are represented as having the Holy Ghost, or the spirit of Christ, before Christ was fully made manifest in the church his true body, it means nothing more than their being enlightened by the Holy Ghost, which influenced them, at certain times, to prophesy of things to come, but did not abide and remain in them, as the constant spring of all their actions.

4. There was evidently an extraordinary measure and manner, in which the Holy Ghost was to be received according to the promise of Christ, which could not possibly take place, until the work of regeneration was completed in him, and till he was glorified, and received that fulness of the Spirit which was the promise of the Father, and which was to flow from him, to such as were united to him by faith and obedience, as members of his body.

5. Jesus could, and did administer a measure of his spirit to his disciples, while he was with them;

39.

III.

CHAP. and they could go forth in faith, and speak in his name; and in the power of that spirit which they received from him, they could cast out unclean spirits, and perform many miracles. But they had not the fountain abiding in them, from which that power flowed; and therefore they followed Jesus from place to place, and received their ministrations from him.

Heb. vii.

2 Cor. vi.

16.

6. This was signified by the tabernacle of Moses in the wilderness, which was followed by the children of Israel, until the ark of the testimony found a fixed habitation in the temple of Solomon.

7. Christ Jesus, while in the body of his flesh, was 2. ix. 11. the true tabernacle which the Lord pitched and not man. And the Primitive Church was the temple of the living God, where his mind and will was made known; which was prefigured by the first temple at Jerusalem.

8. Christ Jesus, while visible on earth, asked his Matt.xvi disciples, saying, "Whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."

15-19.

Duct. xxxii. 4. 1 Cor. iii.

11.

Eph. ii.

20.

9. And Jesus answered, and said unto him, "Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say unto thee, that thou art Peter,* and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."

10. "God is the rock. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. The Revelation of God through Christ, was therefore the rock, upon which he promised to build his church. And though this revelation was in all the apostles, and was the same by which the prophets had prophesied of Christ; yet, according to the promise of

* His former name was Simon, and the name Peter (in the original Petros, i. e. a Rock or Stone) was given him by Christ, signifying that in hun should be manifested the Revelation of God; and by this Revelation through Christ, he was constituted the foundation or chief corner stone of the Primitive Church after Christ, and the leader of the twelve apostles. See Matt. xvi. 18. and John i. 42, N. B. Kephne, or as it is in our translation Cephns, is said to be a Syriac word, and signifies the same thing which Peter does in Greek, namely, a Rock or Stone.

CHAP.

Christ, Peter was ordained to be the leader among III. the apostles in the Church.

11. At the same time that the disciples of Jesus manifested their faith concerning him, he charged Matt.x them to tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ. By 20. which it may be clearly seen, that although he had given them great authority from time to time, respecting their future mission; yet while he was visibly present with them, they could not exercise that authority, until they had received an abiding seal of the Holy Ghost.

12. Christ could never be seen by mortal eye, nor the nature of his kingdom be understood by human wisdom. He was only known by Revelation. The disciples of Jesus themselves, were far from having a perfect understanding either of Christ or his kingdom, until the day of pentecost, after they had received the spirit of promise, by which they remembered and understood what Jesus before had taught them.

21-23.

13. When Jesus spake to them, that he must suf- Matt.xvi. fer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day; Peter began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan ; thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."

14. The disciples believed, and knew that Jesus was the Christ of God, but he had often occasion to complain of the dulness of their apprehension. How xvi. 11 is it that ye do not understand?

15. Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall John xiv know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and Iin 19, 20. you. And again: These things have I spoken to yoú xvi. 25 in proverbs ; but the time cometh, when I shall no more speak to you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.

16. From which it is plain that, although they knew that he came from God, yet they did not know what it was to be in Christ, and to have Christ dwel

N

CHAP. ling in them: nor did they as yet, in reality, know the Father.

Acts i. 6, 7,8.

Luke

25.

17. Even after the resurrection of Jesus, unto the last, when he was about to take his leave of his little family, whom he had made heirs of his kingdom by promise, they still remained ignorant of the nature of that kingdom. For being assembled together in his last interview with them, they asked him, saying, Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ?

18. The only answer they received, was, " It is not for you to know the times, or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the utmost part of the earth.”

19. It is evident that they were still intent upon an Xxiv. 21, earthly kingdom-that they still imagined the Messiah would deliver their nation from under the Roman government, and restore again, that kingdom to Israel, which in the days of David and Solomon, stood in its highest degree of earthly glory: although Christ had plainly told them, That his kingdom was not of this world.

John xvii. 36.

Acts ii.

2, 4.

20. But when the sound came from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and filled all the house where they were sitting-and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.

21. Then, and not till then, they began to know the truth of Christ's words, relating to the design of his work, and the nature of his kingdom. This was the Spirit of anointing with which Jesus himself was anointed; and which he had promised to send them, to lead them into all truth, and which brought to their remembrance whatever he had taught them, either by precept or example.

22. Here then was the true institution of the PRIMITIVE CHURCH; even the Spirit of truth and revela tion of God given to the apostles, was the foundation upon which the Church was built :-The anointing of the Holy Ghost, that is, Christ himself, being the chief corner-stone: Christ dwelling in his people, and they in him, according to promise.

III.

23. And as tongues were for a sign, and the apos- CHAP. tles received this gift, in the first out-pouring of the Spirit; this gift was therefore the true and proper Mark xvi seal of their commission, to go and teach all nations, 17 to baptize them with the same Spirit, and teach them 21, 22. to observe all things whatsoever Jesus had commanded them.

24. Hence it is evident that the Primitive Church was not built upon any human system whatever, artfully formed by man's device; but upon the inspiration of the living God, made manifest in the hearts of living and chosen witnesses.

1 Cor.xiv

John v

25. The first apostles were plain, honest, illiterate men, who cared for no other knowledge than what is. they received from Jesus, who himself also, had never learned letters, according to the order of the Jewish priesthood.

and

26. Jesus had promised them, saying, "I will pray chap. xiv.16,174 the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit xvi. 13. of truth, whom the world cannot receive." "When he the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come."

27. This was the Spirit which the apostles received on the day of pentecost-This was the rule of their faith, the bond of their union, and the spring of their actions.

28. The work of Christ was spiritual: and therefore what Moses wrote upon hewed stone, Christ Jesus wrote upon the hearts and minds of his true followers and in the same manner the testimony of truth was conveyed from the apostles to others.

John str

15.

chap. xv.

29. Christ Jesus taught his apostles, saying, "If ye love me, keep my commandments.-As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall 9, 10, 14 abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love-Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

30. Nothing then was necessary to the government of the Church, but for those who had learned of