2. Out of the world, by the preaching of the gospel, persons were called, converted, and thereon gathered into holy societies or churches, for the celebration of gospel-worship and their own mutual edifica- tion. All these churches, wherever they were called and planted in the whole world, were equally under the authority of every apostle. Where any church was called and planted by any particular apostle, there was a peculiar relation between him and them, and so a peculiar mutual care and love; nor could it otherwise be. So the apostle Paul pleads an especial interest in the Corinthians and others, unto whom he had been a spiritual father in their conversion, and the instrument of forming Christ in them. Such churches, therefore, as
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were of their own peculiar calling and planting, it is probable they did every one take care of in a peculiar manner. But yet no limita- tion of the apostolical power ensued hereon. Every apostle had still the care of all the churches on him, and apostolical authority in every church in the world equally, which he might exercise as occasion did require. Thus Paul affirmeth that the " care of all the churches came upon him daily," 2 Cor. xi. 28; and it was the crime of Diotrephes, for which he is branded, that he opposed the apostolical power of John in that church where probably he was the teacher, 3 John 9, 10. But what power, now, over all churches, or authority in all churches, some may fancy or claim to themselves, I know not; but it were to be wished that men would reckon that care and labour are as extensive in this case as power and authority.
Secondly, Again, the power of this extraordinary office may be considered intensively or formally what it was; and this, in one word, was all the power that the Lord Christ hath given or thought meet to make use of for the edification of the church. I shall give a brief description of it in some few general instances: — ]. It was a power of administering all the ordinances of Christ in the way and manner of his appointment. Every apostle in all places had power to preach the word, to administer the sacraments, to ordain elders, and to do whatever else belonged unto the worship of the gospel. But yet they had not power to do any of these things any otherwise but as the Lord Christ had appointed them to be done. They could not baptize any but believers and their seed, Acts viii. 36-38, xvi. 15. They could not administer the Lord's supper to any but the church and in the church, 1 Cor. x. 1 6, 1 7, xi. 1 7-34. They could not ordain elders but by the suffrage and election of the people, Acts xiv. 23. Those, indeed, who pretend to be their successors plead for such a right in themselves unto some, if not all, gospel administrations, as that they may take liberty to dispose of them at their pleasure, by their sole authority, without any regard unto the rule of all holy duties in particular. 2. It was a power of executing all the laws of Christ, with the penalties annexed unto their disobedience. "We have/' saith the apostle, " in a readiness wherewith to revenge all disobedience," 2 Cor. x. 6. And this principally consisted in the power of excommunication, or the judiciary excision of any person or persons from the society of the faithful and visible body of Christ in the world. Now, although this power were absolutely in each apostle towards all offenders in every church, — whence Paul affirms that he had himself " delivered Hymeneus and Alexander unto Satan," 1 Tim. i. 20, — yet did they not exercise this power with- out the concurrence and consent of the church from whence an of- fender was to be cut off: because that was the mind of Christ, and
CHAP. III.] OF EXTRAORDINARY OFFICES. 445
that which the nature of the ordinance did require, 1 Cor. v. 3-5. 3. Their whole power was spiritual, and not carnal. It respected the souls, minds, and consciences of men alone as its object, and not their bodies, or goods, or liberties in this world. Those extraordinary instances of Ananias and Sapphira in their sudden death, of Elymas in his blindness, were only miraculous operations of God in testifying against their sin, and proceeded not from any apostolical power in the discharge of their office. But as unto that kind of power which now hath devoured all other appearances of church authority, and in the sense of the most is only significant, — namely, to fine, punish, imprison, banish, kill and destroy men and women, Christians, be- lievers, persons of an unblamable, useful conversation, with the worst of carnal weapons and savage cruelty of mind, — as they were never intrusted with it nor any thing of the like kind, so they have suffi- ciently manifested how their holy souls did abhor the thoughts of such antichristian power and practices, though in others the mystery of iniquity began to work in their days.
The ministry of the seventy, also, which the Lord Christ sent forth afterward, to "go two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come," Luke x. 1-3, was in like manner temporary ; that is, it was subservient and commensurate unto his own personal ministry in the flesh. These are commonly called evangelists from the general nature of their work, but were not those extraordinary officers which were afterward in the Christian church under that title and appellation. But there was some ana- logy and proportion between the one and the other ; for as these first seventy seem to have had an inferior work, and subordinate unto that of the twelve in their ministry unto the church of the Jews, during the time of the Lord Christ's converse among them, so those evangelists that afterward were appointed were subordinate unto them in their evangelical apostleship. And these also, as they were immediately called unto their employment by the Lord Jesus, so their work being extraordinary, they were endued with extraordi- nary gifts of the Holy Ghost, as verses 9, 17, 19.