The Churches, also, let it be farther and carefully remarked, which were formed by the Apostles under their inspection were patterns for all succeeding ages.—But if any man seem to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the Churches of God. Nay, Christians are commended for strictly adhering to the ordinances of the New Testament-dispensation. Now I praise you, brethren, that ye remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances, as I delivered them unto you: the two great Gospel-ordinances delivered unto the Churches, are baptism and the Lord’s Supper.—If any refused to admit Apostolic precept, and Apostolic example, others were commanded to withdraw from them: to treat them as grossly erroneous:—as unfit for communion: as in fact denying the religion of the Gospel. Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which ye received of us. The word tradition here is used in a good sense, and means the doctrines, ordinances, and truths delivered by the inspired Apostles. It is a word, indeed, which has been greatly abused. Superstitious people hold to oral tradition as equally valid with the written word of God. And self-confident and impious people call all religion, tradition.
6thly. The Apostles took all due care to commit the Gospel-ministry to faithful men, commanding them to deliver sound doctrine, and to shun all doctrines which they had not delivered and penned down, as directed by the holy Ghost. And the things that thou has heard of me, among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others. To faithful men. Men only are to be public teachers. Faithful men, are men of integrity, sound judgment, and seriousness, in the judgment of Charity.—Again they must be able to teach. To be able to teach is to be men of great knowledge—men of learning—men of extensive reading and thought:—Unlearned men are not able to teach. They only pervert scripture, and expose religion to contempt. An ignorant teacher is an absurdity; yet surprising as it is, people have itching ears to heap up such to themselves.—Ministers of the Gospel are commanded to feed their people with sound doctrine, to give to every one a portion of meat in due season. But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine. Sound doctrine, is uncorrupted, true doctrine. We may know what sound doctrine is, by seeing what the Apostles preached, and most of all dwelt upon. All divine truth is sound doctrine. Now if we did not know, or could not find out what sound doctrine is, we should never be commanded to preach—or to adhere to—or to contend for it. The Apostles have delivered the true doctrines of Religion—have laid down the true plan of worship. And they were plain Preachers. We do know, we can easily know, what they delivered, as the great and essential doctrines of Christ. They command us all, Ministers, and private Christians, to shun all doctrines different from theirs. Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. Strange doctrines, are such as are not found in scripture, or such as the Apostles delivered not. This command supposes, we can know what divers and strange doctrines are. For if we could not, it would be fruitless to tell us to avoid them. The Apostles, then, considered themselves as delivering to the world, the only true system of Gospel doctrines. They did so. They are consequently, to be wholly relied upon, in all things, pertaining to the kingdom of God. Where we can find Apostolic practice or example, in duties and ordinances, statedly observed, we are perfectly safe, and only safe in conforming ourselves thereunto.—I have now offered a variety of arguments to prove to all, that the Apostles are infallible guides in Religion, being commissioned and inspired by the Redeemer immediately.—I trust the arguments are satisfactory. The subject is not often discussed. It is however a most important one.—And I close the discourse, with this single remark. If the Apostles were not secured by the extraordinary assistances of the divine spirit from all error, in doctrine, discipline, and ordinances, and be not infallible guides—if we may not build, with all possible safety, upon their foundation, we must give up all the scripture as a cunningly devised fable, and commence unbelievers in any divine Revelation at all.
DISCOURSE XV.
The first day of the week proved to be holy time, and set apart by Christ to be a weekly Sabbath to the end of the world.
ACTS xx. 7.
And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow, and continued his speech until midnight.—
There is no part of the Christian Religion, but has had, in one age and another, its enemies. There is no duty of it, however plain or important, but first or last, objections have been made against it, by those who were disinclined to perform it. Neither is there any one of all the Virtues of morality, taken in its true meaning and just extent, which has not been opposed by perverse and wicked men, whose vicious lives, or whose loose principles, made it their supposed interest to dispute or deny its obligation.
We are not, therefore, to be surprised, when we find so plain a point as our obligation to sanctify, and observe as holy time, the first day of the week under the Gospel-dispensation, denied, or reproached as a human invention. For there is indeed nothing, in the Christian Religion, either so obvious, or so excellent in its nature, that has wholly escaped censure. This being the case, it becomes us carefully to examine the holy scriptures, to see what they enjoin upon us respecting all parts of our duty to God, as well as to man and to self.——In the present discourse, I shall, in dependence on divine help, make it my business to state, and to dwell upon the evidence from scripture, to prove that the first day of the week is holy time, and set apart by Christ, to be a weekly Sabbath to the end of the world.—
In the arguments, which may be adduced and illustrated, the divine authority of the writings of the Old and New Testament, will be taken for granted. Such only as believe in them, it is expected, will yield to the force of arguments drawn from them.—It is proper, likewise, just to remark here, before we enter upon the proposed proof, that if we reject the Old Testament, we may as well, and must if self-consistent, reject the New. For if one be divinely inspired, the other must be also. If one be false, or spurious, the other is also. Both, therefore, must stand or fall together, because they are intimately connected:—and so intimately connected, that both are either true or false. This every one will allow, who has carefully and diligently read and compared them, or taken proper pains to see their connexion. This connexion has been evinced by several very able and judicious writers.—Let it be further remembered, that nothing in the Old Testament is done away, but the positive or ceremonial part:—The moral part is as much in force, now, as ever. It never indeed can be repealed.—We have our Lord’s own words to bear us out in this assertion. He tells us most expressly, that he came not to destroy the law and prophets but to fulfil them—or to confirm them.