But the preeminence of the Apostles principally consisted in the revelation of the Divine will to complete the system of the gospel.

Our blessed Saviour did not, in the course of his ministry, make a complete revelation of the gospel. He informed his Apostles, on the evening before his crucifixion, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now."* To supply this deficiency of knowledge, and to qualify them for the unerring instruction of mankind, it was the design of our LORD to grant them the plenary inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For this extraordinary part of their ministry, our Saviour gave them a special Commission after his resurrection. "Then said

the Apostle, do not mean that Ananias was sent to communicate the HOLY GHOST to him by the imposition of his hands: For, in that case, Paul could not have said, 2 Cor. xi. 5, I am in nothing behind the very greatest of the Apostles. But his meaning is, that he was sent to restore Saul's sight, and to baptize him, that after his baptism he might be filled with the gifts of the HOLY GHOST immediately from heaven, accompanied with the usual sensible sign, which Saul, having recovered his sight, was to see. Agreeably to this account of the matter, in CHRIST's commission to Ananias, Acts ix. 12, no mention is made of his communicating the HOLY GHOST to Saul, but only of his putting his hands on him that the might receive his sight; neither is any thing else mentioned by the Apostle himself, Acts xxii. 13, 16" Macknight in loc.

*John xvi. 12.

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JESUS to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the HOLY GHOST Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain they are retained."* Nothing surely can be more obvious than the meaning of this language. "As my Father hath sent me" to make a revelation of his will, ven so send I you" to make a revelation of my will. As this extraordinary mission is entrusted to you, I shall not leave you destitute of the authority and qualifications indispensable to fulfil it. "Receive the HOLY GHOST" for your inseparable and unerring guide. "The Spirit of truth" will instruct you to describe, with infallible certainty, the way in which sins may be forgiven, and the characters, to whom they shall be remitted; as well as the characters ‹of those whose sins shall be retained. And by impart. ing to you the power of discerning spirits, he will enable you to make a just application of these principles to individuals, and to declare, without the possibility of error, whose sins are remitted unto them, and whose sins are retained.

This extraordinary authority is illustrated and confirmed, by many other declarations of our LORD to his Apostles. "And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me, Then open

*John xx. 21-23.

ed he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures."* "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”† "The Comforter, which is the HOLY GHOST, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, 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. shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, That he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."§ “Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."|| "For John truly baptized

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with water; but ye shall be baptized with the HOLY GHOST not many days hence...Ye shall receive power, after that the HOLY GHOST is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusa lem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. And when he had spo ken these things, while they beheld,, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."¶

*Luke xxiv. 44, 45.

26. xvi. 12-15.

†John xiv. 16, 17. Verse 25, Luke xxiv, 49. Acts i. 5, 8, 9.

Nor can there be the least doubt that the Apostle Paul received a special Commission for the same purpose. "At mid-day, O king! I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me, and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying, in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, LORD? And he said, I am JESUS whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness, both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me."*

Some of the superior prophets, indeed, were probably very fully inspired for the due interpretation of the ancient scriptures. Some of the evangelists appear to have been under the special superintendence of the Spirit, for the recollection of the history and instructions of our LORD. But, in addition to all the gifts enjoyed by these and other spiritual men, it appears to have been reserved for the peculjar honor of the Apostles to complete the system of

*Acts xxvi. 13-18.

revealed truth. To them was given the special promise of the Spirit of truth to teach them all things, and to guide them into all truth. Hence, the Apostle Paul, in reference to this peculiar honor of the apostolate, declares to the Galatians, "I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of JESUS CHRIST."*

It was for this reason undoubtedly, that the HOLY GHOST dictated to none but Apostles those additional revelations, which were necessary to complete the canon of scripture. St. Mark and St. Luke indeed composed, under the guidance of the Spirit, authentic memoirs of our LORD; and the latter wrote, under the same superintendence, the Acts of the Apostles. But it does not appear, that either of them ever received any new revelation. This was the province of Apostles. This was a peculiar honor of the chosen witnesses of Jesus.

From a due consideration of the subject, it appears, that the ancient Prophets, CHRIST, and his Apostles made known the whole system of Divine truth. On this the Church of CHRIST is founded. For this reason, St. Paul assures us, that the Church is "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, JESUS CHRIST himself being the chief corner stone."t

Thus it appears, that the Apostles enjoyed a pre