was confined to "the loft fheep of the house of Ifrael;" on which account St. Paul calls him a "minister of the circumcifion," and he was frequently ftyled "the King of the Jews." But as his death was to take away the distinction between Jew and Gentile, fo after his refurrection he declared, that "all power was given to him in heaven and in

earth;" as a proof of which, he enlarged the power of his apostles, and gave them a full and abfolute commiffion, to convert, baptize and teach, not the Jews only, but "all nations." The nature of their commiffion is fufficiently expreffed by our Lord's telling them-" As my Father hath "fent me, even fo fend I you;" which plainly fhewed, that as the Father had fent and empowered him, to collect, constitute and govern his church, and ordain ministers in it, fo he devolved this miffion and power upon them; and as before they had been only his personal attendants, waiting his orders from his own mouth, they were now to ftand in his stead, to be officers in truft for the regular adminiftration of the affairs of his kingdom, and to have authority to fend others, for the purpose of carrying on and perpetuating the fame plan which he had fet on foot, even unto the end of the world. Though they were thus fent by him, even as he had been fent by the Father, yet it is certain, they could not be fent as mediators and redeemers, as he was; for there is but "one Mediator between God and men, the man Chrift Jefus." This new commiffion there

fore

fore must be understood only of the authority of government and difcipline in the church, which Chrift himself had received of the Father, and of ordaining others to the fame office, to which the apoftles themselves had been called by virtue of their ordination. While our Lord himself continued perfonally present with them, they had a commiffion to baptize, and preach the gofpel, and to do fuch things as were most likely to gain credit to their doctrine. But now being fent in a more ample and folemn manner, to fupply the place of their abfent Master, and carry on the work, which he had begun, they were empowered to convey to others that Epifcopal Authority, which they themselves had received from the chief Shepherd and Bishop of fouls; that fo there might be a continual, uninterrupted fucceffion of ecclefiaftical governors and pastors, who, in confequence of his gracious promife, were to hope for the blefling of his fpiritual prefence, protection and affiftance in the execution of their facred office, even unto the end of the world.

Thus were the apoft les exalted to the highest ftation in the church, according to the account which St. Paul gives of this matter, when he tells usthat God hath fet fome in the church, firft apof"tles." He fet them first, not only in order of time, but in dignity of office, and distinguished them as the governors of the church, under Christ

its

1 Cor. xii. 28.

its fupreme Head: Which enlargement of their power we find them foon after exercifing, by electing one to fill up the place of Judas, which had fallen vacant by his miferable end, and prescribing several rites to be observed by the members of their fpiritual fociety. But though the apostles were thus conftituted the principal labourers in God's vineyard, it cannot be fuppofed, from the daily increase of the work which it required, that they could long be able to attend to all the minuter parts and branches of it. They therefore found it neceffary, according to the model established by their bleffed Master, to continue that other inferior order of church officers, in which capacity themselves had ferved under him, while he was upon earth. These are often mentioned under the title of prefbyters or elders, though the express time and manner of ordaining them be not particularly recorded. Thus we are told of the apostles Paul and Barnabas, that in the course of their travels" for confirming the fouls of the difciples, they ordained them elders or prefbyters in every church. * St. James directs the fick to or prefbyters of the church to

"call for the elders

pray for them." St. Peter warns thofe to whom he wrote, to be "obedient to their elders, and he exhorts thefe elders or prefbyters to feed the "flock of God which was among them."

puts Titus in mind, that he "had left

R

St. Paul him," as

bishop,

Ats, xiv. 23.

St. James, v. 14.

1 St. Peter, v. 1—5.

bishop, "in Crete, that he fhould fet in order the things that were wanting, and ordain elders in

..

every city."* The elders, in all these passages, are the fame with prefbyters or priests, the second order of ministers in the church, whom we may suppose St. Paul to have had in his eye, when, after mentioning-that "God had set fome in the church, "first apostles" he added, " fecondarily prophets;" the word prophet being often applied to fignify a perfon acting by a divine commiffion, and employed in God's immediate fervice, but without conveying the idea of his foretelling future events, which is now commonly affixed to the word prophet.

But we have farther to obferve, from the information given us in the hiftory of the apoftles, that foon after they had received their Epifcopal power, they ordained another order of church minifters, who, from the nature of their office, were peculiarly diftinguished as deacons or fervants. There were feven of these ordained at firft, because the apoftles judged fuch a number fufficient to fupply the neceffities of the church at that time. They had the charge of the poor people, and took care of the charitable collections that were made for their relief. But they had alfo authority, as they now have with their bishop's licenfe, to preach the gofpel, and to baptize where a higher minifter cannot be had. Thus we find Philip, who was one of them, bap

tizing

Titus, i. 5.

tizing the eunuch,* while Stephen another of them fuffered death, for preaching the gofpel to his own countrymen. Accordingly this office was regularly continued in the church; and in every council or fynod, mention is made of the deacons, their powers are confirmed, and their duties explained, as being the perfons alluded to, whom the apostle fays, God has fet in the church, as "thirdly teach"ers."

These seem to be all the standing orders establifhed in the church; which therefore St. Paul, we fee, diftinguishes in a particular manner, by mentioning them in their regular order-" firft apostles, "fecondarily prophets, thirdly teachers:" Which three gradations of office, thus diftinguishing the Christian, as they had before distinguished the Jewish difpenfation, were carefully and conftantly preserved in the primitive church, and spread, with the spreading of the gospel, to the very ends of the earth. In every kingdom and corner of the converted world, we find the bifhops, as the fucceffors of the apostles in all their ordinary powers, prefiding over their feveral portions of the flock of Chrift; administering the facred rite of confirmation, as the feal or fanction of admiffion into that flock; ordaining prefbyters, as the paftors of its feveral congregations, and deacons for the particular services allotted to their order; and exercifing their Epifcopal authority,

R 2

Acts, viii. 38. † Ads, vi and vii.

I Cor. xii. 28.