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SERMON XI.

THE SAINTS, OR THE CHURCH OF CHRIST AS DELINEATED IN THE APOSTOLIC SCRIPTURES.

PART III.-THE APOSTOLIC COMMISSION.

JOHN XX. 21.

Then said Jesus unto them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father sent me, so send I you.

In my last Sermon I spoke of the ministerial office in general, and of the clergy as contrasted with the lay members of the Church. It was my object to show that the peculiar character, which has always been attributed to the administrative portion of the Church, neither derogates from the exclusive attributes of its great Head, nor interferes with the diffusive privileges of the body at large. It is strictly representative, both in respect of Christ Himself, and of the Christian flock; implying both in the one, and in the other, (in the former as originating, in the latter as imputed,) the presence of those powers and privileges which are thus expressly set forth and asserted; a particular class of persons, being separated by divine appointment from the rest of their brethren, for this object, and to this extent, but no further. Thus the Christian minister supports a twofold character. As an individual "partaker of the heavenly calling" he differs in no respect from his fellows. In that Sion none are before or after another; all are co-equal in the possession of rights; say rather in the enjoyment of blessings, which

cannot be increased, and may not be diminished. Whatever regulation, therefore, appears to place one class of individuals in their relations to the throne of grace, upon a peculiar footing in the "assembly of the saints'," must be regarded as heretical and anti-Christian; and hence the just reclamation of the English and other reformed Churches, against the denial of the sacramental cup to the laity, as practised in the Romish communion'.

But again, as a "minister of the New Testament" " "and steward of the manifold grace of God," the officiating person is placed on an eminence, not merely to preach the Gospel, which is in some sort the duty of every Christian, but to represent and symbolize its vital truths, in the same way as the sacramental symbols, the water of regeneration, and the life-sustaining bread and wine; the former being an image of the Christian man, the latter of the spiritual faith, by which he lives; the very image, that is to say, the thing itself expressly set forth and exemplified. Nay, the minister of holy things appears in this double capacity, even while exercising his peculiar functions, as may be observed in the Church Service throughout; and very remarkably in that most solemn office, when he "first receives the communion in both kinds himself, and then proceeds to deliver the same to the bishops, priests, and deacons, in like manner (if any be present), and after to the people in order"." His administrations have a reflex operation upon himself, in common both with the people, and others of his own order, without the smallest distinction, or pre-eminence of the one part over the other.

'Psalm LXXXix. 7.

4 1 Pet. iv. 10.

2 Art. xxx.

32 Cor. iii. 6. 5 Rubric in the Communion Service.

I likewise attempted to show, that this symbolical method, by which a part is brought forward to represent the whole, characterizes the entire scheme of outward religion, as revealed both in the Old and New Testaments; the Jewish priesthood, as consisting with the priesthood of the people at large, and with the secret but solely effectual energy of the indwelling Immanuel, the Lord, who was among them, being a conspicuous and most instructive instance. In conclusion, I briefly pointed out the apparent necessity and advantage of such an economy. Coming with these views to a consideration of the facts of the case, as exhibited in the actual constitution of the Church, both past and present, we see much to solicit our admiration, nothing to excite our surprise. We seem to discern the working of an uniform plan in different stages of development, while we invalidate the only plausible objections to this statement, by proving them to be misapplied.

It will not be sufficient, however, to rest the argument either upon the antecedent probability, or apparent reasonableness of the existing state of things. We must evince that the ministerial economy of the Church, in its main features, is derived from the express authority of its divine Head, and must bring the question of fact to a trial of evidence.

In a word, we must examine the commission under which the first teachers of Christianity were empowered to disciple and baptize the nations; we must investigate its nature and determine its extent. And, as we have approached this inquiry by a consideration of the ministerial office in general, so we shall be further qualified to appreciate the intention of the several acts by which, as we shall find, it was originally conferred, if we first

examine the nature of the office somewhat more in detail, with a particular reference to that tripartite division. which it actually exhibits in the Church.

For this examination we have, I trust, been in some degree prepared, by the twofold idea of the Church presented in a former discourse, first, as the kingdom, secondly, as the living body of Christ.

To the former of these I would refer the pastorate,the clergy, in their pastoral functions, feeding and guiding the flocks over which they have the rule', whether on a smaller or a larger scale, in parishes or in dioceses, singly or in council; in which capacity they constitute a formal administration, giving to the Church the character of a regular polity.

With the latter we naturally associate the priesthood, the sacerdotal office generally, and the clergy in that respect, "as ministers and stewards of" sacred "mysteries," "rightly and duly administering the" divine "word and sacraments;" in a word, as appointed organs, whereby the life-giving operations of the Spirit are kept up in the Christian body, communion between the members maintained, and the relation in which they stand to their unseen Head continually recognised, cherished, and upheld.

But as it pleased the divine "Author and Finisher of our faith"" neither to establish His kingdom, nor complete His voluntary sacrifice, till the close of his earthly ministry,—as a preparatory period of warning, instruction, and moral training, was deemed necessary, during which He appears rather as "the Prophet of his Church," than as its Priest or King; a period, moreover, of humiliation and affectionate lowly service on the part both of our

Heb. xiii. 7, 17, 21. 2 Communion Service. 3 Heb. xii. 2.

Lord and His chosen witnesses, the office of the clergy comes before us in a third point of view, as a ministry: more particularly as a ministry of religious admonition and education, introductory, so to speak, to a complete investiture in the higher privileges of our profession. Thus, we are led to contemplate the Christian ministry in three points of view.

First, as a pastorate, appointed to tend, to feed, and overlook the flock of Christ; to teach, to legislate, and govern, in accordance with certain fixed principles in the visible Church.

Secondly, as a priesthood, authorized and empowered to perform those sacred functions, according to a determinate and invariable order, by which the Church, considered as a mystical society, visibly embodied, is perpetuated and sustained; by which its members are recruited, its spiritual life manifested, and its necessary organization preserved.

Lastly, as a ministry, properly so called,—a holy service, appointed to "wait at the altar'" in the courts of the Lord's house, and minister to the necessities of his people.

If this distinction be grounded upon a just idea of the ministerial office, it will follow that the Christian minister, in addition to his general character as a servant of the Church, is at one and the same time a pastor and a priest. In the first capacity, he takes his place in the Church, considered as a kingdom, and derives his authority from Christ in His kingly, that is to say, His pastoral character. For what is a king but a shepherd of his people? Our Lord speaks of Himself as "the good

11 Cor. ix. 13. Xav, applied to the regal office, The Homeric phrase, Touéva has been repeatedly noticed.