The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 462

diction and privi!Pge, " WhritRnevllr thoa of learning and ut.tering in our pro.yarR the shnlt bind on earth sh1LJI ho bound in heaven, forgiving love of God, upon the con<litinnR nm! wh..,.~oever thou shalt loose on on.rib of repentance an,1 f,1ith and a forgiving shall be looeecl in beoven." Lightfoot and spirit, is not confiner( to Peter, but con- Boholtgen hnvo shown, by nnmorons quota- ferrer! on all the rli,dple,, nay, upon o.ny two tions from the To.lmud, tlmt the phrases of them who should ngree to pr1>y with the " bind" Bnd "loose" ua rapee.tedly used sinning brflther for forgi veuess. This great by the rBbhis to denote tho declaration of lnwof love, prayer,ond forgiveness was doubt- whrit ls hinrlin~ e.nd whnt is immnterie.l in less given for all time. Oar Lord, in this ethio nnd roligious life. Thus sny they, repetition of e. promise made on an earlier " The school of Billo! binds, the sohool of OCC'aaion, omits nil reference to the binding Bclrn.mmni looses or declnrns indifferent, this in heaven of what is bound on earth. Yel or that regulation." We !mow thnt it wns he does not repeal the promise, but rather given to Peter, by the conference upon him specifics the occasions on which the disciples of the powers of the Holy Ghost, to declare would find that moet frequently they would the terms of admission nnd exclusion from have to exercise it. Wlwsuoe1Jer sins ye, etc. the kingdom of God. Thus Acts ii. 37-39; It is 118 much as to aay-Announce boldly iii. 19; v. 1-11; viii. 20-24 ; x. 34--48 ; remisaion of sins on conditions of faitli and xi. 17; xv. 8, etc. Now, we find James in repentance (Luke xxiv. 47) "t.o all nations, the same assembly proceeding still further beginning at J ernsalem." Your forgiveness than Simon Peter (James, who wns not even even of my murderers, your forgiveness of one of the twelve disciples); and Paul re- Sam1Lritans and publicans, of chief priests pentedly, in the Acts nnd in his Epistles, ancl Pharisees, of Greeks and Jews, of those clecl1Lring by Divine inspiration the duties, that stone you and persecute you; as well the pri vilcges, the ideo.s, the redeeming as your announcement of the infinite com- principles, of the kingdom of God, " binding passion of God, shall be justiji,ed and rati- and loosing," in the full confidence that he fied in heaven. This has been the divinest was the minister and mouthpiece of Jesus function of the Church and of the dis- Christ. This is not remnrkable, because we ciples of Christ ever since. There is no find that the identical privilege which was case that we can find in the New Testament in Matt. xvi. described e.a a privilege of in which the apostles as an order of men, or Peter is in Matt. xviii. 15-19 conferred, not the ministers of the Church as such, assnmed merely on Peter, but on the whole Church, in any other way the power of personally and still more explicitly upon any two who forgiving, in the stead of God, the specific should agree as touching the forgiveness of sine of any individuals. We cannot here a brother, to ask the Father in heaven for trace the matter into the controversies that this great boon. This plivilege is based on have arisen as to the power of a specially the ground that "where two or three are ordered ministry to absolve personally in- gathered together" in Christ's Name, there, dividual sinners from the consequences of 1e.ys he, " am I in the midst of them." If their sin against God. Spiritual communion the offending brother had refused all re- with Christ, personal reception from Christ pentance, and neglected to hear the judgment himself of his own Spirit, is the highest of the Church, this prayer cannot be urged. guarantee of power to proclaim with emanci- Peter then seeks for further information, pating effect the amnesty of love, or to utter " How oft shall my brother sin against me, with subduing might the terrors of the and I fc,rgi ve him? until seven times ? " Lord. In o.nswer to this question Christ reminded Vere. 24-29.-{5) The manifestation made Peter of the Fathe1'e boundless love, and to anxious scepticism, with the blessing on made it the pattern of human forgiveness; those toho have not seen and yet hai·e bdie1Jed. and the whole question of the forgiveness Ver. 24.-This revelation was of supreme of inj uriee is shown to be closely associated importance, and is the climax of the entire with this binding and loosing power, this Gospel. It is peculiar to John's narrative, anticipation, this discovery of the will of the and throws light upon the very construc- Father, this acquisition of the truth in tion of the Gospel. It reveals the charac- answer to earnest pre.yer. Prayer is, e.s we teristics of honest doubt, and indicates the have seen in numberless plo.ces, the rising abundance of tb.o evidence which was offered up of human desires into the very purposes to specific classes and conditions of mind and grace of God, not a cl;.ange wrought to help them believe thnt the Lord had by us in the mind and will of God-God risen. The confession drawn from the heart forbid that we should ever, to our confusion, of this apostle is not only valuable in seoure such a result as that I-but it is in itself, but it reflects a new lustre on the essence a change wrought by God in us, previous manifestation. Moreover, it is helping ua to say, "Thy will be done!" cumulative in its argumentative force. The Let it be borne in mind that this privileir;e m,Jst sceptical is the mQst enthusio.stic of the  THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO ST. JOHN, [011. xx. 1-31.