But we see it was not His pleasure to do so. As the Apostles afterwards brought on the ordination sooner, so He had deferred it longer than might have been expected. Both ways it should seem as if there were a purpose of bringing the event within those ten days, during which, as I said, the Church was left to herself; left to exercise her faith and hope, much as Christians are left now, without any miraculous aid or extraordinary illumination fiom above. Then, at that moment of the New Testament history, in which the circumstances of believers corresponded most nearly to what they have been since miracles and inspiration ceased—just at that time it pleased our Lord that a fresh Apostle should be consecrated, with authority and commission as ample as the former enjoyed. In a word, it was His will that the eleven Disciples alone, not Himself personally, should name the successor of Judas; and that they chose the right person. He gave testimony very soon after, by sending His Holy Spirit on St. Matthias, as richly as on St. John, St- James, or St. Peter.
Thus the simple consideration of the time when Matthias was ordained, confirms two points of no small importance to the wellbeing of Christ's kingdom on earth. First, it shews that whoever are regularly commissioned by the Apostles, our Lord will consider those persons as commissioned and ordained by Himself. Secondly, it proves that such power to ordain is independent of those apostolical functions, which may be properly called extraordinary and miraculous. It existed before those functions began; why then may it not still continue, however entirely they have passed away?
We must not pretend to be wise above what is written; but there is, I trust, nothing presumptuous or unscriptural in supposing that Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, purposely abstained from nominating St. Matthias in His life-time, in order that Christians in all times might understand that the ordained successors of the Apostles are as truly Bishops under Him, as ever the Apostles were themselves.
For this is the constant doctrine of the ancient Church, delivered in express terms by our Lord in the text, "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain."
