CHAPTER VII.

F THE OFFICES IN THE APOSTOLIC CHURCHES.

SECTION I.

THE

HE Lord Jefus, by the ministry of his apoftles, not only commanded his people to affociate together, but also ordained that certain offices fhould fubfift in their focieties. We have in Scripture ample directions respecting the nature of these offices, and the qualifications neceffary for discharging them.

Paul, fpeaking of the afcenfion of Jesus, and of the accomplishment of the promise that he should give gifts unto men, obferves, "he gave fome apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the faints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Chrift," Eph. iv. 11. To the fame purpose he says, "God hath fet fome in the church, first apoftles; fecondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diverfities of tongues," 1 Cor. xii. 28.

rious forts of fupernatural endowments mentioned in the New Testament; but of this we are certain, that fome offices in the church were temporary, and others intended to continue.

We are in no danger of confounding the stated with the extraordinary offices in the apoftolic churches. No directions are given refpecting the choice of persons to occupy the latter. This the great Head of the church reserved for himself; nor have we a particular account of the various duties to which some of them were called. This was unneceffary, as they were either guided by the immediate and extraordinary influences of the Spirit, in the conduct they were to purfue, or were under the perfonal infpection of the apostles.

As to the stated offices, the word of God contains minute directions to guide our choice, together with a clear account of the duties connected with them. It is to be feared, that the alleged difficulties in diftinguishing between the extraordinary and stated offices, have arisen more from a defire to vindicate churches evidently unfcriptural, or the adherence of individuals to thefe, than from any darkness in the subject itself.

Whether any miraculous gifts fhall ever be reftored to the church, time must determine. At all events, we are fure that the ftated offices fhall continue to the end. Thefe are neceffary to the proper regulation and to the wellbeing of every church, whereas the extraordinary offices feem

The ordinary offices are calculated for every fituation and emergency in which the churches can be placed. The extraordinary offices did not fuperfede them, nor are thefe neceffary to their existence. The extraordinary offices of which we read in the New Testament, are apostles, prophets, and evangelists.

We have already had occafion to speak of the office of the apostles, and of the deference which was to be paid to those who held it, by the most highly favoured in the churches, 1 Cor. xiv. 37. They were even poffeffed of miraculous power to punish those members of the churches who despised their authority. Thus John threatens to punish Diotrephes, 3 John 10. They had in them a readiness to revenge all disobedience, 2 Cor. x. 6. This power Paul, once and again, affures the Corinthians he would employ, without sparing, if he found matters in the ftate he suspected.

It is evident, from the nature of the office itfelf, that the apoftles can have no fucceffors. They fully and faithfully delivered the laft revelation which God fhall give to man. Dr Campbell argues that the apoftles could have no fucceffors,

1. From the indifpenfable qualifications for the office. An apostle must be one who had seen Chrift after his refurrection, 1 Cor. ix. 1. xv. 8. for he was ordained to be a witness of Christ's refurrection, Acts i. 22. x. 41. &c.

prerogatives which defcended to none after them, receiving their miffion from Chrift, the power of conferring the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and the knowledge by inspiration of the whole doctrine of Chrift.

3. They were univerfal bishops; the whole church was their charge, and the whole earth their sphere.

4. We have full proof that no idea of fucceffion to the office was entertained in their own age, or in the times immediately fucceeding, for no one, on the death of an apostle, was ever substituted in his room, and when the original college became extinct, the title became extinct with it.

The apostles were ambaffadors for Christ *, and having delivered their meffage, and declared the whole counsel of God, which is contained in their writings, it was unneceffary that any fucceffors to them should be raised up. They are the twelve foundations of the church, Eph. ii. 20. Rev. xxi. 14.

We read of prophets who foretold future events, as Agabus, A&ts xxi. 10. although certainly the term prophecy is not confined to this

* The term ambassadors has been applied to ordinary minifters of the gospel, but improperly. The apostles were ambassadors in the proper sense of the word, but preachers have now only to repeat, enlarge upon, and to imprefs on their hearers what they taught. To give fuch the title of ambaffadors, tends to weaken the authority of apoftolic testimony.

There were also pro

in the New Teftament. phets in the church at Antioch, Acts xiii. 1. Perhaps Mark and Luke, who have written a part of the New Teftament, were prophets. At any rate, it was an extraordinary office, for which men were qualified, and to which they were called by the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit; and those who held it might fay, as Paul does of his apoftleship, "not of men, neither by man, but by Jefus Chrift," Gal. i. 1. It is true, prophefying feems fometimes to be put for the mutual exhortations of the brethren, 1 Cor. xiv. 31. "Ye may all prophefy, one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted ;" and he who prophefieth is said to speak to men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort, 1 Cor. xiv. 3. but it is also evident from the paffages quoted above, as well as from others, that the term prophet is ufed in the New Teftament to denote a perfon poffeffed of extraordinary gifts peculiar to that period, and they appear, by the manner in which they are claffed, to have been next to the apostles.

Evangelifts were affiftants to the apoftles. Their charge was not confined to any particular church. Philip and Timothy are exprefsly ftyled evangelifts. Titus, although the name is no where given him, was evidently employed in the duties of the fame office. He was left in Crete to fet in order the things that were wanting, and to ordain elders in every city, according to the directions of Paul,