are informed in the Acts of the Apostles, that many of their disciples complained of being neglected in the daily ministration. Attentive to their complaints, the apostles caused to be chosen out of the number of those disciples seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost, and of wisdom," for the inferior ministration d. These were called diaxovo, deacons. These had the charge of the poor, and took care of the charitable collections made for their support; but they had also authority to preach and to baptize, when no superior minister was present. Thus Philip, who was one of them, baptized the eunuch; and Stephen, another of them, suffered martyrdom for preaching the Gospel to his own countrymen. We read afterwards in the same book of elders or presbyters (geẞUTEGOI) being in the Church of Jerusalem', although we are not informed of the time or occasion when they were appointed, nor of the precise d Acts vi. 1-7. Acts vii. and viii. 5-8. 26—38. nature of their duties. But we find that Paul and Barnabas ordained elders in every Church; and also that Paul, together with the presbyters, laid his hands upon Timothy, before he took him to be his companion and assistant in propagating the Gospel ". In the Epistles of St. Paul to Timothy and Titus, that apostle gives them directions concerning the ordination and conduct of bishops, elders, and deacons. From these and numerous other facts which are furnished us by the Epistles, two conclusions may be drawn; first, that there existed in the first century of the Church various orders of the ministry, of which each was either superior or subordinate to the other; secondly, that each of those orders were duly ordained either by the apostles themselves, or by those whom the apostles had ordained. It has indeed been observed by an able assertor of the Calvinistic scheme of Christianity, that "we have not that sort of information in holy Acts xiv. 23. 1 Tim. iv. 14. writ, from which we can with certainty form a judgment concerning the entire model of the apostolic Church: that what we learn thence on this subject, we must collect from scattered hints given, as it were, incidentally, when nothing seemed less the intention of the writers, than to convey to us a particular account of the plan of the society they had formed." This most happy observation, although meant for a contrary purpose, adds no little confirmation to the truth of the conclusions we have just formed; which likewise, upon impartial consideration, cannot possibly be denied, because they embrace less than might be legitimately deduced from the general tenor of many different passages in the Epistles, detached and indefinite as they are. If, besides, we consider, that the apostles wrote to the several Churches, not directly to inform the individuals of those Churches of the form and manner in which their Church was administered, which were circumstances well known to all who were connected with them, and visible to the eyes of all, we shall not be surprised, that in this respect the apostles did not depart from their usual method of instruction. With regard, likewise, to the precise nature of those different orders in the Church, and the limits of their respective authorities, we are not on the present occasion concerned: nor is it at present necessary to say any thing on the much-agitated question, whether the names of geσBUTEgo and επισκόπου were names for the same or for different offices in the primitive Church. It is sufficient for our present purpose to be convinced of the justness of the conclusion, that in the apostolical age of the Church, there was no order in it, of which the members were not duly consecrated or ordained to their respective offices by those who were duly qualified to consecrate and ordain them. In order to see the succession of the ministerial office preserved through the succeeding centuries, we must appeal to the testimony of the apostolical fathers and their successors. Their writings will furnish us with proofs so abundant, that no one historical fact can be affirmed to be supported by stronger evidence. On the present occasion, however, it may be sufficient to adduce two passages only, both from writers of the second century. Irenæus, when refuting the heretics who infested the Church in his time, in order to shew that their doctrine was not of the apostles, says, "We can enumerate those who were by the apostles ordained bishops in the Churches, and those who were their successors even to our own time, who neither taught, nor knew, any of the wild opinions of these men1." He adds, that since it would be tedious to enumerate the successions of all the Churches, he would be satisfied with mentioning the succession in that of Rome. Tertullian in the same century challenges the heretics "to produce the originals of their churches, and shew the order of their bishops, so run i Lib. i. сар. 3. |