power given him to turn men's hearts, and to work faith and repentance for forgiveness of sins when and where he thought good; but because he was trusted with the ministry of the word of God's grace, which is able to convert and quicken men's souls, and to give them an inheritance among all them which are sanctified: by the powerful application of which word, "he" who converteth the sinner from the error of his way," is said to save a soul from death, and to hide a multitude of sins." For howsoever, in true propriety, the covering of sins, the saving from death, and turning of men from their iniquities, is a privilege peculiar to the Lord our God; unto whom alone it appertaineth to "reconcile the world to himself, by not imputing their sins unto them :" yet, inasmuch as he hath committed unto his ambassadors the "word of reconciliation," they, in performing that work of their ministry, may be as rightly said to be employed in reconciling men unto God, and procuring remission of their sins; as they are said to "deliver" a man from going down into the pit," when they "declare unto him his righteousness :" and to "save their hearers," when they "preach' unto them the Gospel, by which they are saved." For as the word itself, which they speak, is said to be "their" word," which yet" is in truth the word of God:" so the work, which is effectually wrought by that word in them that believe, is said to be their work, though in truth it be the proper work of God. And as they that believe by their word are said to be "their epistle", that is to say, "the epistle of Christ ministered by them," as it is expounded in the verse following; in like manner, forgive Acts, chap. 20. ver. 32. Psalm 19. ver. 7. and 119. ver. 50, 93. a James, chap. 5. ver. 20. • Rom. chap. 4. ver. 6, 7. Jerem. chap. 31. ver. 18. Revel. chap. 1. ver. 18. 1 Thess. chap. 1. ver. 10. Acts, chap. 3. ver. 26. Matt. chap. 1. ver. 21. ness of sins, and those other great graces that appertain to the believers, may be said to be their work, that is to say, the work of Christ ministered by them. For in very deed, as Optatus speaketh in the matter of baptism, "not" the minister, but the faith of the believer, and the Trinity, do bring these things unto every man." And where the preaching of the gospel doth prove "the power of God unto salvation;" only the weakness of the external ministry must be ascribed to men, but "the excellency of the power" must ever be acknowledged to be of God, and not of them: "neither he that planteth," being here" any thing, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase." For howsoever, in respect of the former, such as take pains in the Lord's husbandry may be accounted →εou ovveρyoì, as the apostle termeth them, "labourers together with God," though that little piece of service itself also be not performed by their own strength, but "according to the grace of God which is given unto them:" yet" that which followeth, of giving the increase, God effecteth not by them, but by himself. This", saith St. Augustine, "exceedeth the lowliness of man, this exceedeth the sublimity of angels; neither appertaineth unto any but unto the husbandman the Trinity." Now as the Spirit of God doth not only work diversities of graces in us, "distributing to every man severally as he will;" but also maketh us to "knows the things that are freely given to us of God:" so the ministers of the New Testament, being "made" able ministers of the same Spirit, are not only ordained to be God's instruments y Has res unicuique, non ejusdem rei operarius, sed credentis fides et Trinitas præstat. Optat. lib. 5. contra Donatist. 2 Rom. chap. 1. ver. 16. 1 Cor. chap. 1. ver. 18. a 2 Cor. chap. 4. ver. 7. c 1 Cor. chap. 3. ver. 9. b 1 Cor. chap. 3. ver. 7. d Ibid. ver. 10. e Jam vero quod sequitur, Sed Deus incrementum dedit, non per illos sed per seipsum facit. Excedit hoc humanam humilitatem, excedit angelicam sublimitatem; nec omnino pertinet nisi ad agricolam Trinitatem. Augustin. in evangel. Johann. tract. 80. op. tom. 3. par. 2. pag. 702. 1 Cor. chap. 12. ver. 11. Ibid. chap. 2. ver. 12. to work faith and repentance in men, for the obtaining of remission of sins, but also to declare God's pleasure unto such as believe and repent, and in his name to certify them, and give assurance to their consciences, that their sins are forgiven, they having "received this ministry of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God;" and so by their function being appointed to be witnesses, rather than conferrers, of that grace. For it is here with them in the loosing, as it is in the binding part of their ministry; where they are brought in, like unto those seven angels in the book of the Revelation, which "pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth;" having "vengeance' ready against all disobedience," and a charge from God, to "cast men out of his sight:" not because they are properly the avengers, for that title" God challengeth unto himself; or that vengeance did any way appertain unto them, for it is written, "Vengeance" is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord:" but because they were the denouncers, not the inflicters, of this vengeance. So, though it be the Lord that "speaketh concerning a nation, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy," or on the other side, "to build and to plant it;" yet he, in whose mouth God put those words of his, is said to be set by him " over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant:" as if he himself were a doer of those great matters, who was only "ordained" to be a prophet unto the nations," to speak the things unto them which God had commanded him. Thus likewise in the thirteenth of Leviticus, where the laws are set down that concern the leprosy, which was a type of the pollution of sin, we meet often with these speeches: "The i Acts, chap. 20. ver. 24. • Rom. chap. 12. ver. 19. Rev. chap. 16. ver. 1. m Jerem. chap. 15. ver. 1. Heb. chap. 10. ver. 30. 4 Jerem. chap. 1. ver. 9, 10. * 1727 1779) kai ka@apıɛï avròv å iepeùs. priest shall cleanse him," and, "The priest shall pollute him:" and "The priest with pollution shall pollute him:""not", saith St. Hierome, " that he is the author of the pollution, but that he declareth him to be polluted, who before did seem unto many to have been clean." Whereupon the master of the sentences, following herein St. Hierome, and being afterwards therein followed. himself by many others, observeth, that "in* remitting or retaining sins, the priests of the gospel have that right and office, which the legal priests had of old under the law in curing of the lepers. These therefore" saith he, "forgive sins or retain them, whilst they shew and declare that they are forgiven or retained by God. For the priests put the name of the Lord upon the children of Israel, but it was he himself that blessed them, as it is read in Numbers." The place, that he hath reference unto, is in the sixth chapter of that book, where the priests are commanded to bless the people, by saying unto them, "The Lord bless thee," &c. and then it followeth, in the last verse of that chapter, "So they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them." Neither do we grant hereupon, as the adversary' falsely chargeth us, that "a layman, yea or a woman, or a child, or any infidel, or the devil (the father of all calumniators and liars) or a parrot likewise, if he be taught the words, may as well absolve as the priest;" as if the speech were all the thing that here were to be considered, and not the · ΠΟΠ 109 καὶ μιανεῖ αὐτὸν ὁ ἱερεύς. " in the 44th verse, ¡¡¡ 1)XDD' NDD μávoɛi piaveï avròv ò iɛpeds. "Contaminatione contaminabit eum, haud dubium quin sacerdos; non quo contaminationis author sit, sed quo ostendat eum contaminatum, qui prius mundus plurimis videbatur. Hieron. lib. 7. in Esai. cap. 23. op. tom. 3. pag. 203. * In remittendis vel in retinendis culpis, id juris et officii habent evangelici sacerdotes, quod olim habebant sub lege legales in curandis leprosis. Hi ergo peccata dimittunt vel retinent, dum dimissa a Deo vel retenta indicant et ostendunt. Ponunt enim sacerdotes nomen Domini super filios Israel, sed ipse benedixit; sicut legitur in Numeris. Petr. Lombard. lib. 4. sentent. dist. 14. f. ▾ Bellarmin. de pœnitent. lib. 3. cap. 2. sec. ult. power: where we are taught, that "the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power." Indeed if the priests by their office brought nothing with them but the ministry of the bare letter, a parrot peradventure might be taught to sound that letter as well as they but we believe, that "God hath made them able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit ;" and that the gospel ministered by them "cometh unto us not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." For God hath added a special beauty to "the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace;" that, howsoever others may bring glad tidings of good things to the penitent sinner as truly as they do, yet neither can they do it with the same authority, neither is it to be expected that they should do it with such power, such assurance, and such full satisfaction to the afflicted conscience. The speech of every Christian, we know, should be employed" to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers:" and a private brother in his place may deliver sound doctrine, reprehend vice, exhort to righteousness, very commendably: yet hath the Lord, notwithstanding all this, for the necessary use of his Church, appointed public officers to do the same things, and hath given unto them a peculiar "power" for edification," wherein they may boast above others; and in the due execution whereof God is pleased to make them instruments of ministering a more plentiful measure of grace unto their hearers, than may be ordinarily looked for from others. These men are appointed to be of God's high commission; and therefore they may " speak' and exhort, and rebuke with all authority:" they are God's " angelsg" and "ambassadors for Christ;" and therefore in deliver 1 Cor. chap. 4. ver. 19, 20. a 2 Cor. chap. 3. ver. 6. Rom. chap. 10. ver. 15. b 1 Thess. chap. 1. ver. 5. 2 Cor. chap. 10. ver. 8. and chap. 13. ver. 10. Tit. chap. 2. ver. 15. h2 Cor. chap. 5. ver. 20. Rev. chap. 1. ver. 20. |
