with such words as "much" (λλ), or "more abun"dantly" (grotegov), it seems plain that, in this passage, the elders who are said to labour in word and doctrine, are not persons who make extraordinary exertions in preaching, but simply such as perform the common duties of teaching elders. But if two kinds of elders be mentioned in that passage, and if those who labour in the word and doctrine be such as are engaged only in the common duties of teaching elders, does it not follow, agreeably to the introductory clause of the verse, that there are to be elders in the church distinct from the former, and who, when they merely rule well, though they do not teach, are entitled, on account of it, to double honour?

Others, in fine, have asserted with Downham, and Sutclive, and other ancient Episcopalians, that the word μ, here translated honour, denotes not merely honour, but, as appears from a Homily of Chrysostom on the passage, and the Expositions of Calvin, and Beza, and Bullinger, as well as the following verse, maintenance also. But if it mean maintenance, and if two kinds of elders be mentioned, each of them must be entitled to double or proper maintenance, a circumstance which, in their view, would be extremely inconsistent. On this objection also Mr. Ballentine lays considerable stress, and urges it against Presbyterians with abundance of confidence. But I do not see on what principle it is inconsistent with the tenets of Presbyterians to grant even to lay-elders proper maintenance, if their circumstances require it, or if at any time they are called from their employments to the business of the church longer than their secular interests permit. Besides, it is evident from the distinction which is here stated between elders who only rule, and elders who teach and give themselves wholly to their sacred vocation, that attention is, in the first place, to be paid to the maintenance of the latter. The former, if they need it, are to receive maintenance; but it is especially to be given to such as preach, and have no other means of procuring subsistence. If, after they are provided for, the church is able to compensate the lay-elders for that time which they devote to her particular business, she is bound to do it. Is it objected to this reasoning, as has often been done by Independents*, that the terms elder and bishop are

See Sandeman's Letter to Mr. Wilson.

applied in scripture to the same individuals, and as every bishop is required by Paul, (1 Tim. iii. 2), to be " apt to "teach," none should be elders who are not public teachers? It is replied, that such an inference is not deducible from the passage. All that is asserted in it appears simply to be this, that an elder, or bishop, should be fitted to teach, according to the station which he holds in the church. The preaching elder should be qualified to teach publicly, according to the nature of his particular function; and the ruling elder should be qualified to teach, and admonish, and counsel privately, according to the particular nature of his office. But because an elder, or bishop, should be apt to teach, according to the particular nature of his office, can it fairly be inferred that none are to be elders but those who are qualified to be preachers of the gospel?

If it is still contended, that as all the elders of the church of Ephesus are commanded by Paul, (Acts xx. 28), to feed that church, they must all have been ministers of the word, because it is the province of the minister, and not of the ruling elder, to feed the church? It is answered, that though lay-elders cannot feed the church by public instructions like the teaching elder, they may undoubtedly do so in their private capacity, by that information, and counsel, and comfort, which they may communicate to the members. Besides, the word here translated " feed," frequently means to rule, as a shepherd does his flock, as was before observed*, which is done by them no less than by the former. If the word then be translated to feed, it is obvious that the lay-elders might be enjoined by the apostle to perform this duty as well as the ministers, because they were no less bound to feed the church by their private instructions, than the former were bound to do so by their public discourses; and if it be rendered to rule, it is evident that they were no less admitted to discharge this office than the teachers themselves. It cannot, therefore, be evinced from the present passage, that there ought not to be an order of elders in the church, who barely rule, distinct from the elders who rule and teach.

In short, even conceding that, in both of these instances, the terms refer to public teaching only, it cannot be inferred that because elders in general are called thus to teach and

*See Note, p. 56.

feed, there are not other elders, who, though they govern the church, cannot perform these duties. General declarations, of whatever kind, very frequently admit of particular exceptions. It is said, for example, respecting the whole of the tribe of Levi in general, (Deut. xxxiii. 8, 10), that "they should teach Jacob God's judgments, and Israel his "law that they should put incense before him, and whole "burnt sacrifice upon his altar." And, agreeably to this, we are told that Jehoshaphat, when he had convened them upon a particular occasion, (2 Chron. xxix. 5), thus addressed all of them, (ver. 11), " My sons, be not now negli 66 gent, for the Lord hath chosen you to stand before him, "to serve him, and that you should minister unto him, and "burn incense." Though all of them, however, are said, in the one passage, to have been originally appointed to burn incense before God, and though all of them are commanded to do so in the other, yet we know, from other passages, that there were many of the Levites who, though employed in the service of the ancient sanctuary, were not authorized to perform this part of the sacerdotal function. Allowing then that it could even be proved that elders in general are required by Paul to be apt to preach, and that the whole of the elders in the church of Ephesus are apparently enjoined to perform this function (and this cannot be demonstrated), if it can be evinced, from other passages, that there should be a class of elders who are merely to rule and not to preach, it will no more follow, from these general injunctions, that these should not exist in every church, than it will follow, from the passages before produced, that none were connected with the tribe of Levi, or admitted to minister in the ancient sanctuary, but such as burned incense.

On the whole, as this separate order of elders seems clearly to be authorized by the sacred oracles, so it appears from the writings of the primitive fathers, that even from the earliest ages it existed in the church. In the year 103, we meet with these words in the very same sentence of the Gesta Purgationis Cæciliani et Felicis: "Presbyteri, dia66 cones, et seniores, i. e. The presbyters or pastors, the "deacons and elders ;" and a little after that, "Adhibete "conclericos et seniores plebis, ecclesiasticos viros, et inquirant diligenter quæ sint istæ dissensiones, i. e. "the fellow-clergymen and elders of the people, ecclesias❝tical men, and let them inquire diligently what are these

Add

"dissensions." In that assembly likewise, different letters were produced and read: one addressed," Clero et senio"ribus, i. e. To the clergymen and the elders ;" and another, "Clericis et senioribus, i. e. To the clergymen and the "elders." Origen too, who flourished only a little more than 200 years after Christ, has these expressions in the third book of his Treatise against Celsus: "There are "some rulers appointed who may inquire concerning the "conversation and manners of those that are admitted, "that they may debar from the congregation such as commit "filthiness." But does not this contain a most accurate description of one important part of the office of the elder who is barely to rule? Cyprian moreover, bishop of Carthage, who lived about 240 years after Christ, in his Thirtyninth Epistle, book iv, (according to the edition of Goulart), writing to his presbyters, and elders, and people, respecting one Numidicus, enjoins that he should be reckoned with the presbyters of that church, and should sit with the clergy, to make up their Presbytery. And yet it would seem that it was only as a ruling, and not a teaching presbyter, that he was to be received by them: for he adds, "Et promove"bitur quidem, cum Deus permiserit, ad ampliorem locum "religionis suæ, quando in præsentiam protegente Domino ❝venerimus; i. e. And indeed, if it be the will of God, he "shall be promoted to a more distinguished place of his "religion, or religious function, when, through the Lord's "protection, we shall arrive." But what more honourable place could he attain, if he was already a teaching elder, and consequently, at that period, next to the bishop? In the passage before quoted, from the Commentaries of Ambrose, upon 1 Tim. v. 1, the testimony which is given to the existence, in the church, of an order of elders who merely ruled, and were distinct from those who also preached, is strong and pointed. He shews, that by the elders or seniores, of whom he speaks, he does not mean only a few of the more aged and experienced of the members, for he compares them to the elders in the Jewish synagogue, and attributes to them an equality of power, and we know that the latter were not merely private members of the synagogue, venerable for their wisdom as well as age, but elders by office. He discovers also no less clearly, that he does not intend simply, by the elders to whom he refers, persons whose opinion was occasionally consulted in difficult matters,

for he says expressly, that "without their counsel nothing "was done in the church: Unde et synagoga et postea ec"clesia seniores habuit, quorum sine consilio nihil agebatur "in ecclesia." And that these elders likewise were admitted not only to state their opinion and deliver their advice, but to rule with an authority not inferior to that of the clergy, he no less plainly declares; for he ascribes to the pride and ambition of the teachers, the discontinuance of this order in a number of places, which, while it remained amongst them, curbed the former, and set bounds to the latter. But how could these elders have restrained their ambition, and prevented their undue assumptions of power, if they were permitted in the ancient church, to deliver an advice only, which might be adopted or rejected by the clergy at pleasure? Indeed so incontrovertible did this testimony for the existence of this order of office-bearers, in the an cient church, appear to many who were opponents of Presbytery, that it was not only admitted, as we have already seen, by some of the more candid of the ancient Episcopa lians, but by some of the most respectable even of the Independents themselves. Among these is included, Mr. Cotton of America, already mentioned, who, in his Way of the Churches in New England, cap. ii. sect. ii. p. 30, acknowledges it to be a clear and irresistible proof of the existence of this order in the ancient church, and vindicates the argument which he adduces from this passage, for the necessity of this order even in Independent churches, from the exceptions and cavils of some of his brethren and others. And, in fine, Augustine, bishop of Hippo, who lived about the year 420, often refers to these elders in his writings. Thus, in his Treatise against Cresconius, lib. iii. cap. lvi, "Peregrinus presbyter et seniores Musticana regionis, i. e. Peregrine the presbyter, and the elders of the Mustican "district," where he obviously distinguishes between the pastor or presbyter who taught, and separate elders or seniors. Thus, also, he addresses one of his letters to his church at Hippo, (Epist. cxxxix), "Dilectissimis fratribus, "clero, senioribus, et universæ plebi ecclesiæ Hipponensis,

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i. e. To the beloved brethren, the clergy, or clergyman, "the elders, and all the people of the church at Hippo," where he makes an obvious discrimination between the clergy, or clergyman, the elders, and the people. And were it thought requisite, it would be easy to bring forward