II. TEXTS INTIMATING THE NATURE OF ITS GOVERNMENT. 1. Power of binding and loosing. Matth. xvi. 18, 19. Σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρα οἰκοδομήσω με τὴν ἐκκλησίαν· καὶ πύλαι ᾅδε ε κατισχύσεσιν αὐτῆς. Καὶ δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Matt. xviii. 17-20. Ἐὰν δὲ παρακούσῃ αὐτῶν, [δύο ἢ τριῶν μαρτύρων] εἶπὲ τῇ ἐκα κλησίᾳ, ἐὰν δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐκα κλησίας παρακούση, ἔστω σοι ὥσπερ ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης. ̓Αμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅσα ἐὰν δήσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· καὶ ὅσα ἐὰν λύσητε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ. Πάλιν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἐὰν δύο ὑμῶν συμφωνήσωσιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς περὶ παντὸς πράγματος, οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται, γενήσεται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου, τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς. Ου γάρ εἰσι δύο ἢ τρεῖς συνηγμένοι εἰς τὸ ἐμὸν ὄνομα, ἐκεῖ εἰμι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῶν. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two of three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them. John xx. 21-23. Καθὼς ἀπέσταλκέ με ὁ πατὴρ, καγω πέμπω ὑμᾶς. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησε, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Λάβετε Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. ̓́Αν τινων ἀφῆτε τὰς ἁμαρτίας, ἀφίενται αὐτοῖς· ν τινων κρατῆτε, κεκράτηνται. 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. 2. St. Paul's practical Comment upon these powers. 1 Cor. v. 3-5. "Hồŋ кéκρικα ὡς παρὼν, τὸν οὕτω τοῦτο κατεργασάμενον· Ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, συναχθέντων ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ πνεύματος, σὺν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ Κυρίε ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ Σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρα τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ. 1 Tim. i. 20. Ὑμέναιος καὶ Αλέξανδρος οὓς παρέδωκα τῷ Σατανᾷ, ἵνα παιδευθῶσι μὴ βλασφημεῖν. 1 Cor. iv. 21. Τί θέλετε; ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ, πνεύματί τε πραότητος ; 2 Cor. x. 2. Δέομαι δὲ, τὸ μὴ παρὼν θαῤῥῆσαι τῇ πεποιθής σει, ᾗ λογίζομαι τολμῆσαι ἐπί I, verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Hymeneus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness? But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to edification, and not to destruction. Do not ye judge them that are within ?.... Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. 3. St. Paul's Commission. Rom. i. 1. Παυλος, δοῦλος Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπόστολος, ἀφωρισμένος εἰς εὐαγγέλιον Θεξ. Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Cf. 1 Cor. i. 1, and 2 Cor. ii. 1. Gal. i. 1. Απόστολος οὐκ ἀπ ̓ ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ δὲ ἀνα θρώπε, ἀλλὰ διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Gal. i. 12. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπε παρέλαβον αὐτὸ, οὔτε ἐδιδάχθην· ἀλλὰ δὲ ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. An apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. 4. Extent of the Apostolical Commission. Mark xvi. 15. Εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Πορευθέντας εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἅπαντα, κηρύξατε τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει. He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. Matt. xxviii. 18-20. Kai προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς, λέγων· Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξεσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς. Πορευθέντας οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίω Πνεύματος Διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τες ρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἕως τῆς συντε λείας τοῦ αἰῶνος. Αμήν. Luke xxiv. 49. Καὶ ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ ἀποστελλω τὴν ἐπαγγελιαν τοῦ πατρός με ἐφ' ὑμᾶς ὑμεῖς δὲ καθίσατε ἐν τῇ πόλει Ιερεσαλὴμ, ἕως οὗ ἐνδύσασθε δύναμιν ἐξ ὕψες. Matt. x. 16. Ἰδοὺ, ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω ὑμᾶς ὡς πρόβατα ἐν μέσῳ λύκων. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saving, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Gore there ye fore, 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. And, 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. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves. 5. Commission given by the Apostles to their immediate Successors. Acts xx. 28. Προσέχετε οὖν ἑαυτοῖς, καὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιμνίῳ, ἐν ᾧ ὑμᾶς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἔθετο ἐπισκόπες. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, May not these, ἐπισκόποι have been called πρεσβύτεροι cate chrestically? as St. Paul calls himself διάκονος (1 Cor. iii. 5, Eph. iii. 7.) St. Peter calls himself πρεσβύτερος, 1 Pet. v. 1. and St. John, 2 John 1, and 3 John 1. Acts vi. 5, 6. Καὶ ἐξελέξαντο Στέφανον, ἄνδρα πλήρη πίστεως καὶ πνεύματος ἁγές, καὶ Φίλιπ And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and πον, καὶ Πρόχορον, καὶ Νικάνος ρα, καὶ Τίμωνα, καὶ Παρμενᾶν, καὶ Νικόλαον προσήλυτον Αντιοχέα. Οὓς ἔστησαν ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀποστόλων· καὶ προσευξάμενοι ἐπέθηκαν αὐτοῖς τὰς χεῖρας. Acts xiv. 23. Χειροτονήσαντες αὐτοῖς Πρεσβυτέρες κατ' ἐκκλησίαν, προσευξάμενοι μετὰ νηστειῶν, παρέθεντο αὐτοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ. Titus i. 5. Τούτου χάριν κατέλιπόν σε ἐν Κρήτῃ, ἵνα τὰ λείποντα ἐπιδιορθώσῃ, καὶ καταστήσῃς κατὰ πόλιν πρεσβυτέρες, ὡς ἐγώ σοι διεταξάμην. 1 Tim. iv. 14. Μὴ ἀμέλει τοῦ ἐν σοὶ χαρίσματος, ὃ ἐδόθη σοι διὰ προφητείας, μετὰ ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ πρεσβυτερία. 2 Tim. i. 6. Δι' ἣν αἰτίαν ἀναμιμνήσκω σὲ ἀναζωπυρεῖν τὸ χάρισμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν σοὶ διὰ τῆς ἐπιθέσεως τῶν χειρῶν με. Heb. v. 4, 5. Καὶ οὐχ ἑαυτῷ τις λαμβάνει τὴν τιμὴν, ἀλλὰ ὁ καλούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθάπερ καὶ ὁ Ααρών. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἐδόξασε γενηθῆναι ἀρχιερέα, ἀλλ ̓ ὁ λαλήσας πρὸς αὐτόν· Υἱός με εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch; Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. When they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorifed not Himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto Him, Thou art My Son, to-day have I begotten Thee. |