Apostles.

Pr. 18: 10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Is. 43: 2 When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. 3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. 4 Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life. 5 Fear not; for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west: 6 I will say to the north, Give up: and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth.-54: 14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear and from terror; for it shall not come near thee. 17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. [See 515—517, 585.]

96. Christ the head of the church.

Mat. 23: 8 Be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father which is in heaven. 10 Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

Ep. 1: 22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all. [See 76.]

CHURCH OFFICERS.

97. Apostles, or extraordinary officers, called directly by Christ.

Mat. 4: 18 Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 10: 5 These twelve Jesus sent forth.

Gal. 1: 1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.)

Apostles.

98. The apostles, instructed by direct revelations.

Mat. 10: 19 When they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

Gal. 1: 11 I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man: 12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.-2: 8 (He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles.)

99. Apostles, eye-witnesses of Christ's resurrection.

Ac. 1: 21 Of these men which have companied with us, all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us. 22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. 13: 30 God raised him from the dead: 31 And he was seen many days of them which came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are his witnesses unto the people.

1 Cor. 15: 8 Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.

100. Miraculous gifts and authority of the apostles.

Mat. 10: 1 When he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease. - 16: 19 I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. 18: 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. 19 If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

Jn. 20: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. Ac. 8: 17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. 18 And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, 19 Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.15: 28 It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and

Teachers and Pastors - Deacons.

to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 29 That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

2 Cor. 12: 12 Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds. [See 189.]

101. Elders, Overseers, Ministers, Bishops, Preachers, Teachers. Pastors, Evangelists, (one office,) to instruct, admonish, edify, lead and guide.

Jer. 3: 15 I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Lk. 1: 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word.

Ac. 15: 6 The apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. 23 They wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles, and elders, and brethren, send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia. 20: 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

Ep. 4: 11 He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Ph. 1: 1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.

1 Tim. 2: 7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not,) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. 3: 1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 Tim. 1: 11 Whereunto I am appointed a preacher, and an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.

1 Pet. 5:1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. [See 447.]

102. Deacons, to distribute alms, serve tables, etc.

Ac. 6: 1 In those days, when the number of the disciples

Elders-Baptism and Lord's Supper.

was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables. 3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. 4 But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. 5 And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch, 6 Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them.

1 Tim. 3: 8 Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre ; 9 Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. 10 And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. 11 Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. 12 Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. 13 For they that have used the office of a deacon well, purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ

Jesus.

103. Had any primitive churches a plurality of elders?

Ac. 14: 23 When they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord. -20: 17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

Tit. 1: 5 For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.

Jam. 5: 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church.

CHURCH ORDINANCES.

104. Baptism and Lord's Supper appointed.

Mat. 26: 26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it: 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed

Preparation for a privilege.

for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives. [Mk. 14: 22—25. Lk. 22: 14— 20.]~ 28: 19 Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

25

1 Cor. 11: 23 I have received of the Lord, that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. 26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.

105. Preparation required of partakers at the Lord's Supper.

1 Cor. 5: 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8 Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with 'the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.11: 27 Whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. [See 397.]

106. Church ordinances a privilege.

Ps. 27: 4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.-36: 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. -63: 1 O GOD, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.— 65: 4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest,