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verse twenty-three, "The Lord was with him, and that which he did the Lord made to prosper." In most of these texts, we have even the paraphrase to explain the expression. In one it is, that God blesses the individual; but in most it is, that God makes whatever he undertakes to prosper. Such therefore is, in the first place, the definite meaning of the expressions in the text. I will only observe, that in the Greek version of this passage, commonly called the Septuagint, the same form of expression is used, the same word that occurs in the passage of St. Matthew, where Christ says, that he will be with his apostles always, to the consummation or end of the world.

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Here again, a controversy arises regarding the meaning of this phrase. The word which is translated world, also has the signification of the term of a person's natural life. Why not, therefore, as some have interpreted this passage, adopt this signification; and then it means, that Christ would be with his apostles as long as they were upon earth? The answer is founded upon precisely the same rule as that which I gave at the beginning. It is true that the word here used has sometimes that meaning, but only in profane authors, and not, in one single instance, in the New Testament; but, wherever the word occurs, it can be translated in no other way but the world. The only passage which can be brought at all to support the other meaning, is where our Saviour, in the twelfth chapter of St. Matthew, and the thirty-second verse, speaking of the sin against the Holy Ghost says, "It shall not be forgiven him, either in this world or the next." used here for the world is the same as there, some might mean the term of a person's natural life. tion there is excluded by the antithesis, which says, "the next;" because, if you understand the word, to which the adjective next applies, to be the same as is placed in opposition to that joined with the present; and if it must have, consequently, the same meaning, you will produce an absurdity, an incoherency in the sense; for how can the term of the natural life of a man be applied to his existence in a future state? In this world, therefore, it must be, and in the next, because no other word will correspond with the second member. But any one, who will take the pains to examine, will find, that it is acknowledged by all the best and most learned modern Protestant commentators, that, in every instance, when it is joined with that, or the other word which is translated consummation or end, it invariably means the world: that is, the duration of the present order of things; and, whatever is said to be until the end of the world, from these two words, necessarily signifies, till the destruction of the present order of things. In this sense, it occurs, for instance, in the first chapter, and the second verse, of the epistle to the Hebrews; in the twelfth chapter of the same epistle, and the third verse; in the first chapter of the first Epistle to Timothy,

and the seventeenth verse, and in others, particularly in conjunction with the other word. We have it very strikingly in the thirteenth chapter of Matthew, the thirty-ninth, fortieth, and forty-ninth verses-" So shall it be at the end of the world; the angels shall go out, and separate the wicked from among the just;" a parable which no one can doubt, refers to the final judgment, the end of all time." Thus far, therefore, we have gained the meaning, the only meaning given in Scripture, to another of our expressions.

But it may be asked, is not this meaning necessarily limited by the use of the pronoun "you?" Can it be supposed to be addressed to the successors of these persons? Most undoubtedly, because similar expressions again occur in Scripture: for we find, that St. Paul, when speaking of those Christians who were to exist to the end of the world, speaks of them in a pronoun in the first person, and which exactly corresponds in extent and meaning to the second; for he says, in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, the fifteenth chapter, and the fifty-second verse," We shall be changed;" and, in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians, the fourth chapter, and the sixteenth verse, "Then we who are alive”—who are alive-" shall be taken up together with them in the clouds." Thus, therefore, by the we in these cases is understood Christians living at the distance of many ages; and, consequently, there is no reason why this pronoun in our case should be taken as limiting an expression which, in no other instance, throughout the whole Scripture, ever signifies any thing but the end of the world.

But, I will observe, that this form of expression is necessarily used; that, if we would once admit this limitation in this case, it applies, necessarily, to every authority, to every jurisdiction that is claimed by the pastors of any church; for you will not discover in the gospel any commission given to pastors or rulers in congregations or churches, which is given for the occasion, without intending to apply to those subsequent to the apostles. They are given to the apostles and their successors, and the rulers and teachers in every church claim the authority, in consequence of these texts. The Church of England, for instance, claims the authority of its bishops from passages clearly directed to the apostles. Those societies that dedicate themselves to the preaching of the gospel, and the propagating of it to other parts, consider that their commission is given in this very text, "Go preach the gospel to all nations." Therefore, it is evident, that every other class of Christians agree with us in considering that this word cannot form any limitation to this or any other passage. The meaning therefore, so far is, that Christ will watch with peculiar care and solicitude; that he will exert a special providence over his apostles, which providence was to be prolonged, not in their own individual persons necessa

rily, as they should not exist till the end of time, but through those who were to succeed the apostles.

But, what have we so far gained? What is the object of this special assistance; of this peculiar providence and watchfulness? This is what remains to be seen, and that also by the same test of truth.

Now, then, by examining the Scriptures, we find, that whenever God gives a commission of peculiar difficulty, one which to those who receive it appears hard and difficult to accomplish, or, indeed, entirely beyond the power of man, the way in which he assures them that the commission shall be, and can be fulfilled is, by adding to the end of the commission these very words, "Lo, I am with you;" that is to say, the success of your commission is sure, because I give my special assistance to procure it. A few passages will, I trust, make this point quite clear. In the forty-sixth chapter of Genesis, the third and fourth verses, God says to Jacob, "I am the God of thy father: fear not; go down into Egypt; for I will make of thee a great nation there. I will go down with thee thither." "I will accompany you, I will be with you in your going down to Egypt; therefore, fear not. Though this appears to stand directed, from its own nature, to the destruction of my promise that you shall be a great people, by sending you to be slaves, to be the subjects of another state, yet I pledge my word that I will give you assistance in such a way that this promise shall be kept." But still more clear are the passages which I shall now quote. In Exodus, God gives a commission to Moses to go to Pharaoh, and liberate his people. He who had himself been obliged to flee from Egypt under a capital imputation; he, who had not only no further influence in the court, but was now identified with the race that was proscribed and persecuted, and whose very extermination Pharaoh had vowed to put himself forward in such a position was, apparently, only to secure his own destruction, and to make certain the frustration of the hopes that God had given his captives. Now, how does God assure him that, in spite of all this apparent impossibility, his commission should be successful? Moses said unto God, "Who am 1, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee." The commission is secure; he had the highest guarantee that God could give him that it should be successful. Again, when Jeremiah is sent to his people, and he, on account of his want of proper qualifications, considers himself unfit for the commission, God promises him success precisely in the same terms, with the addition of the very expression used in our text; for, it is added to the commission, as contained in the first chapter, "Gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command thee. For, behold, I have made thee this day a fortified city; and they shall

fight against thee, and shall not prevail; for I am with thee, saith the Lord." Here is the commission given precisely, as we shall see just now, as it was given to the apostles; and he taught the people all that God had commanded. Thus, therefore, we have a simple rule deduced from our examination of similar forms in other parts of Scripture, that wherever a commission is given by God to his servants that appears impossible of execution by human means, he strengthens and secures its complete and perfect fulfilment by the words, "I am with thee."

Now, therefore, we have it, that Christ in this text promises his church, or his apostles, and those who succeed them till the end of the world, such assistance of his special providence as shall be sufficient and necessary to secure the full accomplishment of that commission which he has given them; and we have only to see what that commission is, and the case is closed. "Go, teach all nations"-there is one part of the commission-to teach all nations of the world-" teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." Therefore, we have the guarantee of Christ that he will aid his church with his special providence for the fulfilment of the commission, till the end of time, for teaching all nations all things, whatsoever he has commanded. I ask, is not this a commission; is not this an instance exactly embracing all that I have said we might expect to find? Does it not institute a body of men to whom God gives a security, that they shall be the faithful depositaries of his truths? Does he not there establish a kingdom whereunto all nations are to come? Does he not establish his own permanent teaching in lieu of prophecy for the purpose of preventing the church from falling into any error? Is not that institution to last then to the end of time? Now, my brethren, this is precisely all that the Catholic church teaches, claims, and holds forth, as the basis and foundation whereupon it rests its rule of faith. It considers that the pastors of Christ's church, the successors of the apostles, have received the security of Christ's own word, of his own promise to his own perpetual teaching, that they shall not be left to fall into error. It is thus, therefore, that she considers herself as the depositary of all truth; as having an exemption from all liability to error; and, as having authority to claim from all men, from all nations, submission to her teaching and instruction.

Such, therefore, is the first ground of the system which I endeavoured to lay before you at our last meeting; and, although I fear that I have already trespassed a great deal too long upon your attention, I am anxious not to close this part of the argument-for the entire argument is by no means concluded-without a few other observations. To finish the counterpart of what I showed you in the first portion of my discourse, I refer simply to one or two other texts. I said, for instance, that in the same way as to make the fulfilment of the system of prophecy, we

should have expected to find a provision whereby He, whom the prophets typified, should himself not merely purge away error, but prevent it in his new and more perfect church; that we should also expect to find the Holy Ghost—who was the inspirer of the prophets, who, as it were, animated their organs to speak—teaching also in like manner, and substituting his own ineffable and infallible instruction for theirs. Now, I do find several texts connecting themselves closely with that which I have just read, and obviously pointing out an institution for this purpose. For, in the fourteenth chapter of St. John, the sixteenth and twentysixth verses, our blessed Redeemer says, "I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; the Spirit of truth." "But the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things." In the sixteenth chapter and the thirteenth verse we read, "But when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will teach you all truth." Here, again, are words addressed to the apostles. I know there are some persons who would consider these words, perhaps, as addressed individually to all the faithful, and as being a promise of the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to all pastors. But I would answer and say, We must be consistent. If you allow, for instance, that in these words the promise is not merely confined to the apostles; but descends, not merely to later ages, but to every individual in later times, then, I say, you must not limit the former one, but you must allow, that promise is made in the same way to the apostles as this, and that it extends to all, at least to the same degree, and consequently, that it is also for the benefit of every future age. But besides this, as I said, the two passages are closely united together, and we find that the object of both is the same, that it is that of teaching the truth. Not only so; but we find it is primarily addressed to the apostles in a most particular manner, because it is said, that the Spirit is to be, as it were, the supernatural teacher of that which Christ, the Son of God, had himself already taught, and that he was to complete that already begun, so that the instruction is manifestly primarily, directed to those persons who have received the personal teaching of our Saviour. But we have here, consequently, also, a promise, that the Holy Ghost was to come down to the apostles; that he was to be their teacher in every species of truth; that, through his assistance they were to have full security against error.

There is another passage in the words of our Saviour which would deserve to be commented upon at some length, and that is, the important promise where, after founding his church upon a certain foundation, he promises that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. But I shall have occasion, at a later period, after some evenings have intervened, to dwell more fully upon this text, because it is connected with the important doctrine of the headship or supremacy of St. Peter and

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