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priest is of the second order, whether he is termed a bishop or a presbyter.

Some stress might here be laid on the structure of the ancient Jewish church, which had three distinct orders, High Priest, Priests, and Levites. Agreeably to this analogy; our Lord, we are informed, named twelve Apostles, and other seventy also (Luke, vi. 13, and x. 1); so that in the earliest infancy, in the cradle of the church, three distinct orders existed: 1st, Christ himself; the great Shepherd and BISHOP of souls; the High Priest, called of God: 2dly, the Apostles: and, 3dly, the Seventy. The two last orders were mentioned by different names, and sent forth at different times. Of the Twelve, our Saviour manifested a particular care; a plain proof of their being superior to the Seventy . Moreover, it was from the college of the Seventy, that the successors of the Apostles were elected; and we ask,

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See Daubeny's Guide, p. 25 and 32." The Jewish and Christian churches, are different editions of the same church."

The Twelve were to be "WITH our Lord" (Mark, iii. 14). The Seventy only to go before him (Luke, x. 1). The inauguration of the Twelve was more solemn than that of the Seventy even after whose commission they were still called the Twelve. The Twelve were called Apostles; the Seventy only Disciples. The Twelve were appointed to judge the twelve tribes (Matt. xix. 28; Luke, xxii. 30; Rev. xxi. 14); Barnabas, Mark, Luke, and the seven deacons, were believed by the primitive fathers to be of the Seventy. See Potter,

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Why should Matthias have been called to fill the vacancy of Judas, if he possessed the same dignity and power as one of the Seventy, which subsequently belonged to him when chosen among the Twelve?

During the lifetime of Christ, the Apostles possessed no power of commissioning others to exercise the ministerial functions. They were only directed to pray the Lord of the Harvest, that HE would send forth labourers into his harvest. Christ, at that period, exercised the episcopal functions, exclusively, in his own person (Matt. ix. 37, 38); and he gave the foregoing direction to the Apostles and the Seventy, on the occasion of his sending them forth. Thus, if they found the harvest plenteous, and the labourers few, as they should and did find, they had no power to -ordain other labourers as assistants. THIS THEN IS THE PRINCIPLE OF EPISCOPACY. He who is simply ordained to the ministry, has not received,

virtue of that ordination, the power of ordaining others. Indeed, the first mission of the Apostles and Seventy, was confined to the Jews (Matt. x. 5); and as our Lord was a prophet, like unto Moses (Deut. xviii. 15), his object was to adhere to the institution of Moses, who, together with twelve princes, heads of the tribes, had seventy elders under him *.

Numb. i. 4, and xi, 16, compared with Deut. xviii. 15, and Acts, vii. 37.

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The power of governing the church was dele-gated to the Apostles, by Christ, a short time previous to his ascension into heaven. "As my Father Hath sent me, so send I you; and he breathed on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" (John, kk. 21) A little while after, namely, on the -day of Pentecost, they received it in a visible manner: and it was not till then that they began to ordain. But they then ordained both presbyters and deacons; presbyters in every city (Acts, xiv. 23); at that... at that time called bishops, or overseers (Acts, xx. 28); and deacons to take care of the poor and widows (Acts, vi.). But the deacons (and let the Presbyterian answer this) were ecclesiastics; for they were ordained; and ordained to preach and baptize (Acts, viii. 5)*. To confirm or ordain, however, was not within their province; for Philip, one of the deacons, baptized the Samaritan converts: but Peter and John' were sent down to perform those things which lay bel yond the limits of diaconal authority. Here, then, immediately after the resurrection, we perceive the three orders, as well as there had been beforet.

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* Stephen wrought miracles, and held a dispute with the Jews (Acts, vi. 7). The word Axovos is applied to St. Paul in Colos. i. 23-25; and to Paul and Apollos, 1 Cor. iii. 5.

† At first the Apostles were in common, and with equal authority, bishops of the Catholic church. But by agreement among themselves (not by any command of St. Peter), the labour was soon divided (Gal. ii. 9); James, Peter, and John being appointed to the care of the Jewish proselytes, while the

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In the third chapter of St. Paul's first Epistle to Timothy, the qualifications of bishops and deacons are enumerated; no mention being made of a third order. Concerning the import of the word Bishop, in this passage, three several opienions are found amongst ancient writers, all dif-fering from the Presbyterian interpretation. Ac

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¿Gentile converts were assigned to Paul and Barnabas.The next step was to apportion a district to each. Apostle ;, and at this time James was settled in the bishopric of Jerusalem (Gal. i. 18, 19; and Jerome on Gal. i.; Gal. ii. 1). Here he spoke with high authority in the synod: hence he sent certain to Antioch; and hence too he directed his epistle to the twelve tribes scattered abroad," On this account all the writers of the first ages," says Blondell (Apolog. p. 50), "unanimously style him, Bishop of Jerusalem." Some indeed have confined the church of Jerusalem to a single congregation but since many thousands were there converted and assembled, they must have worshipped God in various congregations, though still forming but one church. They are called Mupades (Acts, xxi. 20). The Scriptures speak of the churches of a province, and the church of a city; but Maurice (in his Answer to Clarkson, 1691) has clearly shown, that in one city there were many presbyters and congregations.

See also his Treatise on the present Church, in reply to Baxter, 1682.-Sherlock's Defence of Stillingfleet, and Sleater's Answer to Sir Peter King, which induced that author to recant his errors.

The Presbyterians have fallen into a curious mistake in applying the term Elder to the lay officer corresponding to the Aaxovos, or minister: while the word minister (according to their notion a lay officer) is separated from its literal meaning of deacon, and employed to signify the ecclesiastic.

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cording to Theodoret (Comm. in Tit. iii. 1 ; and Comm. in Phil. i. 1, and ii. 25), the presbyter is here called bishop, as the Apostle descends from him to the deacon: the office, which we now term episcopal, being, in that first age, discharged by the Apostles themselves. Epiphanius thinks that the Apostles sometimes placed only bishops and deacons, or presbyters and deacons, in a newly planted church, by reason of the paucity of its members, or, in the latter case, the difficulty of finding persons worthy of exercising the episcopal functions. Chrysostom and others consider the word Presbyter as included in that of Bishop, while they admit that ordination belongs only to the latter *.

inо05, overseer, or the care of ALL the

Paul was a bishop, an superintendent; for he had churches." Let the Independent recollect, that the care and inspection of Paul was not confined to one congregation f. Let the Presbyterian remember, that there must have been presbyters in each of these churches; and that Paul was a man. invested with an authority superior to these pres*See Whitby on 2 Tim. and Pref. to Titus.

The dispute which arose at Antioch respecting the extent to which the Christians ought to judaize, was referred to ANOTHER Church, namely, that of Jerusalem, The ques tion was there determined; and from Acts, xv. 31, it appears that the decision was received with joy; nor does any passage intimate that it was not submissively acquiesced in by those who were of a contrary opinion.t

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