commissions the apostles, to "go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature:" that as many as believe in him whom God hath sent, may "not come into condemnation, but have eternal life."

"Unreasonable

It was an arduous enterprize. and wicked men" would oppose themselves: they were to wrestle not against flesh and blood" alone, but against the powers of darkness, and the wiles of the devil. How should they overcome this malice? How discern the spirits which were for them and the spirits which were against them? How distinguish the worldly and self-interested, from the sincere and earnest who "sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness?" They must be endued with power from on high : with power which men naturally have not, and with which other men have never since been endued power which should enable them to distinguish between the hypocrite and the penitent, and to know the child of God from the child of Satan. This power should not be denied them.

22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost;

23. Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Thus directed by the holy Ghost, Peter could not be deceived by the hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira and said to the wife, whose husband had already suffered the penalty of his fraud,

1 See Eph. vi. 11, 12.

1

1

"How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out." By virtue of the same. power, "Saul set his eyes on Elymas the sorcerer, and said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season."3 By virtue of the same power, he directed that a transgressor in the church of Corinth should be "delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh :" and afterwards declares, that "now in the person of Christ he forgives him."

The power, then, of remitting or retaining sins was committed in a peculiar manner to the apostles, and with it, the discerning of spirits which such power required. But we must carefully note, that even as exercised by them, this absolution or condemnation did not extend beyond the present world. They did not put themselves in the place of God," to kill or to make alive" in reference to eternity. They did not contradict the sentiment, "Who can forgive sins, but God alone?" Their Master" had power on earth to forgive sins," and claimed it, and exercised it: but the Jews who accused him on this head, and were forward enough 2 Acts v. 1—11. 3 Acts xiii. 9—11. 41 Cor. v. 5; 2 Cor. ii. 10.

to find blame against the apostles, never saw reason to bring such an allegation against them.

The authority, then, to remit sins or to retain sins, was limited to the apostles, and to the present world. Why, then, do we say to the ministers of our church, "Whose sins thou dost forgive, they are forgiven and whose sins thou dost retain, they are retained ?"'5

Because, though the power of forgiving or retaining sin in their own person is not transferred to them, the conditions are entrusted to them on which sin is forgiven or retained. They cannot say, as their Lord had said, "Thy sins are forgiven thee. Go in peace. They cannot say, like the apostles, "Thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. They cannot say, "Those who have buried thy husband shall carry thee out." Even the apostles used this power on rare occasions. Their ordinary course was to use such words, as every minister of Christ is bound to use. "Repent, and be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins." "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved." "By him all that believe are justified from all things."6 The ministers who follow their steps declare the

same.

They testify the forgiveness of sins past: testify that they are the messengers of the gospel of peace, which invites all men to salvation :7 and proclaim that "God was in Christ, reconciling the

5 Ordination service. 6 Acts ii. 38; xvi. 31; xiii. 39. 7 Calvin in loco.

world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto them the word

:

of reconciliation.” 8 And though they speak with authority, as ambassadors of God, they do not pretend that authority is given them in their own persons to absolve the soul from guilt, or to retain it under condemnation. But in obedience to the message entrusted to them, they pronounce whose sins are remitted; and at the same time they pronounce whose sins are retained. Thus, and thus only, do they remit sin, or retain sin. And their ministry is, by intent and purpose, as the apostle says, a savour of life unto life towards them that believe ;" and by consequence, and only by consequence, "a savour of death unto death" in them that perish.

66

66

9

Ministers, therefore, are to be esteemed and reckoned as" stewards of the mysteries of God." 2 Moreover, it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful :" that he dare not to pronounce forgiveness, where God has not forgiven; or condemnation, where God has not condemned. The words of God are very severe upon this point, as delivered to the prophet Ezekiel. 3 "Woe unto the foolish prophets, that follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing! Because they have seduced my people, saying, Peace, when there is no

8 2 Cor. v. 19.

3

9"In that we are reconciled to God, this is proper to the gospel and it is an accidental thing, that believers are adjudged to eternal death." Calvin, ubi supra.

1 2 Cor. ii. 16.

2 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2.

3 xiii. passim.

peace. Will ye pollute me among my people, to slay the souls that should not die, and to save the souls alive that should not live?-With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad: and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life."

Warnings like these should instruct both the people and the minister. The minister, that he speak as one "who shall give account:" and the people, that they refer to the law and to the testimony," and "believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God." He alone, who could breathe upon his apostles, saying, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: he alone in his own person had power on earth to save or to condemn. For thus he reveals himself: "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore; and have the keys of hell and of death.”5

4 1 John iv. 1.

5 Rev. i. 18.