upon the subject: indeed it cannot be proved that his sin consisted in any thing worse than in venturing to sacrifice without having received an express commission for doing so'. 2. Korah was certainly sincere; he was thoroughly convinced of his right to what he claimed. His conduct shows no fear or hesitation; he readily accepts the challenge of Moses, and presents himself at the place appointed, to wait the answer of the Lord. "Moses said unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou and they and Aaron to-morrow and take every man his censer, and put incense in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his censer, two hundred and fifty censers; thou also and Aaron each of you his censer. And they took every man his censer, and put fire in them, and laid incense thereon, and stood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Moses and Aaron: and Korah gathered all the congregation against them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the congregation."

After weighing these things well, let it be considered whether, at the last day, in the event of there proving to have been such a thing as a Christian Priesthood, the incompleteness of the evidence with which it is revealed, or the sincerity

1

[But see Numbers iii. 10; iv. 15; from which it would seem that he may have disbelieved Moses and Aaron's report of what God had told them.]

of those who disbelieve it, will make any wide difference between their case and Korah's.

It might be easy to multiply instances from the Old Testament, setting forth how dangerous it is to underrate the sacredness of sacred things; but perhaps this may be sufficient; and in the absence of any single instance setting forth the danger of the opposite course, will warrant us in concluding, that in all cases of doubt, where Scripture leaves the choice between two interpretations, the most reverential side is always the safe side.

い

who had this authority from Christ, for the edification of His Church. For Christ expressly declares in the following verse, that "where two or three are met together in His Name, there is He in the midst of them." Here is the description of that Church, before which the offender was to be brought, and whose authority Christ promises to support; it is "two or three met together in His Name." Now the Church was not to have this authority over the offender, considered as a number, i. e. two or three; for we see that the offender had been already before such a Church; he had been before two or three and after the neglect of them he was to be brought before another two or three, met together in Christ's Name'. Which is a plain proof that the offender was not to be censured by the Church as it signifies a number of Christians, but as it implies particular persons, acting in the Name of Christ, and with His authority.

(3.) That the authority here promised to the Church, was a judicial authority, such as to affect and alter the condition of persons censured by it. This is implied in the words, "let him be unto thee as a heathen;" which means, in the most natural and common sense of the words, that they should look upon him no longer as a Christian, or within the kingdom of Heaven, but as reduced to the state of heathens.

1

[That is, our Lord's words seem to run as follows: "If he will not hear them, tell it to the Church; now, where two or three are gathered in My name, there is the Church, My representative."]

(4.) That this judicial authority was to affect man's condition, not merely in relation to their fellow-men, but also to God. For it is declared that "whatsoever should be thus bound on earth, should be bound in Heaven1."

From this analysis of our Lord's second promise, we derive a very intelligible explanation of the first; "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven;" which is precisely equivalent to the assurance here given, that admission into, or exclusion from this kingdom, should belong solely to the Apostles. The keys of the kingdom of Heaven were to be entrusted to St. Peter and the other Apostles, in such a sense, that no one could enter it without their leave, nor remain in it against their command.

Now it is only to suppose that the kingdom of Heaven was set up for the remission of sins2, (a proposition, which I suppose no one will question,) and that the sins of those who are excluded from it are not remitted in the same sense, or to the same extent, as the sins of those that are within it, and then the two promises which have just been com

1 These four remarks are taken almost word for word from Law's third Letter to Bishop Hoadly.

2

[It would seem that the connexion between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Remission of Sins, was of such a nature as to make the one phrase naturally suggest the other to the Apostles. Comp. St. Matt. iii. 2. with St. Mark i. 4. and St. Luke iii. 3. Part of the baptismal Creed in St. Cyprian's time was, "Credis remissionem peccatorum et vitam æternam per sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam ?" Ep. 69. ed. Fell.]

these should hold good in the case of the persons to whom they were declared: or we must suppose, that His most solemn and impressive act, and the awful gift which accompanied it, the breath of the Son of God, now no longer mortal, and the communication of the Ever-blessed Spirit, were intended only to confirm an authority which no incredulity could question.

The existence of such an hypothesis as this, and much more the general adoption of it, is a fact which should warn cautious persons against theorising on the passage which has given rise to it. A more prudent, as well as a more pious course, will be to refer to the other parts of Scripture, for such light as may be brought to bear upon it, and when we have done this, to attempt no more.

Now it will be recollected that, in a previous part of our Lord's ministry, He had made a promise to the Apostles, couched in terms so nearly resembling those of this mysterious grant, as to make it at least supposable, that they allude to it, and thus that the grant is the fulfilment of the promise. St. Matthew informs us (xvi. 17,) that on occasion of St. Peter's confessing Jesus to be the Christ, He had answered and said, "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."