be their greatest pleasure; so long shall we, God permitting, never cease to sound in your ears, the duty, and the privilege, you are neglecting.

While to you, and we thank God for the very large and steadily increasing number of you, who delight in every return of this holy, and sanctifying, and strengthening ordinance, and who are, we trust, renewed in the spirit of your minds, and reconciled to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord; we would only say, let nothing ever keep you voluntarily from a mean of grace, of which past experience has so fully proved to you the excellency, and the power. Let every return of it, not only be a pledge to you of the Saviour's love to your souls, but let it be also a pledge to Him, of your increasing love to his service. Bear in mind, however, that his own Word has said, "ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils;" and although this, doubtless, applied distinctly to idolatry, it goes far to prove, that by coming to his table, you do in the most solemn manner, avow your allegiance to him, and proclaim open, irreconcileable hostility to his enemies, the world, the flesh, and the devil; that you by this act solemnly declare that you have given "yourselves, your souls, and bodies," to be his, and his alone; that you acknowledge with the Apostle, that you are not your own, but his who has bought you, with his blood.

Beloved, think how much is implied in that acknowledgment; what holiness, what purity, what love, what self-denial, what heavenly mindedness, what gratitude. And while the acknowledg ment of this gift, involves on your part, such high and holy duties, hear what blessed privileges it involves on his part, who has vouchsafed to receive the gift, and to secure these privileges to yourselves. "Holy Father, keep through thine own name, those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are." "Father, I will, that they also whom thou hast given me, be with me, where I am, that they may behold my glory."

Your course then is plain, it is through the alone merits of your Redeemer, from duties here, to joys hereafter; from the Church militant, to the Church triumphant; from the imperfect communion of sinners like yourselves, to the perfect communion of saints in glory; from the table of your Lord, and his spiritual presence, upon earth, to the bridegroom's feast, the Supper of the Lamb, the personal presence of your Redeemer, in the king, dom of your Father.

SERMON XXIV.

ON THE APOSTOLIC OFFICE.

By the Rt. Rev. ALEXANDER V. GRISWOLD, D. D., Bishop of the Prot. Epis. Church in the Eastern Diocese of the U. States.

MATTHEW Xxviii. 18-20.

And Jesus came and spake unto them saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

THESE three verses, which conclude St. Matthew's Gospel, are his record of the last ordination of Christ's Apostles: that full commission to preach, and baptize, and govern his Church, which he gave them immediately before his ascension. The subject to which this text will naturally direct our attention, is this ministerial office: what power Christ gave his ministers, and what are their duties. I purpose, so far as I can do it in one discourse, to show you what the Scriptures teach of the Apostolic office, and what it now is.

It appears from the Evangelists, that our Saviour Christ, soon after the commencement of his public ministry, elected twelve persons, whom he named Apostles, and he commissioned them, at different times, to preach his Gospel and minister the ordinances of his Church.

From the Evangelists Mark and Luke, it appears to me that they were commissioned at three different times, each subsequent ordination investing them with additional power. Their first ordination is mentioned by St. Mark in his 3d chapter: and by St. Luke in his 6th chapter. At this first ordination, we are told that Christ chose twelve disciples, named them Apostles, and ordained them to "be with him, and that he might send them forth

to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils."

Their second ordination is recorded in the 6th chapter of Mark, and the 9th chapter of Luke: where we are told that at a subscquent period," he gave them power and authority over all devils," and " over unclean spirits," and "to cure diseases;" and he “sent them to preach the kingdon of God, and to heal the sick;" and he gave them, at this second ordination, instructions to execute their ministry.

It is evident that some considerable time clapsed between the first and second ordination, during which, Christ wrought several miracles, and spake a number of parables, and gave his disciples much instruction. Surely these words, "He called unto him the twelve; he gave them power and authority over devils, and to cure diseases, and over unclean spirits; and he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick," and the directions he gave them how they should conduct themselves, and exercise their ministry, imply and express authority and power actually given them at the time.

Of the third ordination of the Apostles, we read in the latter part of Matthew, Mark, and John; then he commissioned them to exercise the highest ecclesiastical authority.

Soon after the second ordination of the twelve, "the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them" forth to teach. Thus it appears that during Christ's ministry, there were three dif ferent orders or grades of preachers. First, himself, acting as the High Priest cr Bishop, in his own person, and governing the Church. Secondly, the twelve; and thirdly, the other seventy.

The law given by Moses was a shadow of good things to come; it in all things typified the Gospel state, and is called "a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ." And accordingly, it had the three orders of the ministry-the High Priest, the Priests, and the Levites-with different and distinct powers and duties.

These facts prepare us to expect, that the like number of grades in the ministerial office would be continued in the Church after Christ had ascended into heaven. And this expectation is very much confirmed by two other facts, which from the Scriptures are evident, First, that Christ, immediately before he left the earth, advanced his Apostles to that rank in his Church which he was leaving. "As (he says,) my Father hath sent me, even so

send I you." And the Apostles so understood their commission; they claimed to be ambassadors for Christ, as though God besought men by them; they prayed men in Christ's stead. The other fact is, that not long after, ministers of a new order were ordained by the Apostles, called Deacons.

In our text, Christ begins by saying, "All power is given unto me, in heaven and in earth," showing that he had authority to ordain them to any ministry. And then, as St. John tells us, he mentions the ministry, which he actually did give them; such as the Father had given him: he appoints them to the office which he was leaving. Christ glorified not himself to be made an High Priest, but had, like Aaron, his type, under the law, a regular call to the office; nor did the Apostles take the honor to themselves: they were sent by Christ, as he was by the Father.

By comparing the Evangelists we learn what were some of the powers committed unto them. First, to exercise discipline and govern the Church: "Whosesocver sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosesocver sins ye retain, they are retained." This is sometimes called the power of the keys; authority to admit members into the Church, and to exclude from it such as they should judge unworthy. They were also commissioned to go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Christ had commanded them, promising salvation to those who should believe and be baptized. He also promised to be with them even to the end of the world, evidently meaning them and their successors in the same office.

Other powers, though not particularly expressed, are also implied. They were sent by Christ, as the Father had sent him, and of course to minister in the Church as he had ministered: and to appoint such ordinances as the new dispensation might render expedient; such as ordaining to the ministry, administering the Lord's Supper, laying on of hands in Confirmation, and appointing the Order of Deacons.

Our Lord added: "Thesc signs shall follow them that believe; in my name they shall cast out devils; they shall speak with tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." These words show that the working of mir

acles was not peculiar to the Apostles, nor to the ministers of Christ; those who believed, through their ministry, it was thus promised, should do those wonders. Miracles were common in the apostolic age, but were not peculiar to the apostolic office.The seventy wrought miracles: so did the Deacons. Christ did not promise that the working of miracles should continue to the end of the world; but that he would always be with the office; that while the world endured there should be continued an uninterrupted succession of such officers in his Church, endued with these ecclesiastical powers, and commissioned to transact with mankind the momentous concerns of their eternal salvation.The name of Apostle was not long continued. Besides the first twelve, we read only of Matthias, Barnabas, Paul, Epaphroditus and a few others, who in the New Testament, are called Apostles. After their death, their successors in office, in honor of the first Apostles, modestly, by general consent, assumed the name of Bishops.

This circumstance has led some to suppose, that the apostolic office ceased with those who first bore the name. To decide this, you have only to consider what was their office. Working miracles was not their office; for others, even laymen, did that.— Itinerant preaching, or traveling from place to place, was not peculiar to their office. This was the work of an evangelist then, and of missionaries now: Philip the Deacon did it. Titus was commissioned to travel through Crete, and to ordain elders in every city. We have already seen to what office the Apostles were ordained. It was to preach, to baptize, to lay on hands, and to govern the Church. And surely these have not ceased. Whether they journeyed, like Barnabas and Paul, or were stationed, as James was, at one place, their power and office were the same.

No one thing has caused so much dispute on the orders of the Christian ministry, as the promiscuous use of the names given them in the New Testament. What we teach and firmly believe is, that in the Apostles' days, (as has been the fact ever since) there were three different orders; but we do not say, or suppose that they were distinguished exactly by the same names then as they now are. The words Bishop, Elder and Deacon, which we now appropriate severally to three different grades, were then sometimes used for all the orders. The Apostles were called Elders, and also Deacons. The Elders, Presbyters, or Priests, which