cerned to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, and shew out of a goo conversation their works with meekness of wisdom; they should endeavour fill up in a becoming manner, all stations and relations in life, civil or eccn mical, in the world and family; as of magistrates and subjects, of husbands a wives, parents and children, masters and servants; as well as in the church, pastors, deacons, and private members, and be careful to perform all duties r lative to them; that so their fellow-members may not be grieved nor stumbled nor the good ways of God be evil spoken of; nor the name of God, and b doctrine, be blasphemed; nor any occasion given to the adversary to speak r proachfully; and by a strict attention to these several duties of religion, the will shew that they behave themselves in the house of God as they ought to d

HAVING treated of a church, as essentially considered, with respect to matter and form, I shall now proceed to consider it, organically, or as organized church, a corporate body, having its proper officers. In the fir churches there were officers both extraordinary and ordinary; the extraordinar officers were apostles, prophets, and evangelists.

I. Apostles, 1 Cor. xii. 28. These had the first and chief place in the church and the signs of the apostles were found with them: they had their call a mission from Christ, and were not of men, nor by men, but by Jesus Chris and as they had their mission and commission immediately from Christ, so the doctrine; they neither received it from men, nor were taught it, but had it the revelation of Christ; they were infallibly guided into all truth by the insp ration of the Spirit, and had the power of working miracles, in confirmation all this; they went out by authority every where, preaching the gospel, to th conversion of multitudes, and were the first planters of churches, which othe watered; they were not limitted to any particular church, but had the care o and presided in all the churches wherever they came. This office is no ceased; the apostles have no successors in it: not such who are called lo bishops; for as the apostles had not their pompous titles, nor their grandeu nor their wealth, so neither have these lordly bishops their gifts, power, an authority; they have neither mission nor commission, nor work similiar theirs.

II. There were set in the churches, secondarily, prophets, 1 Cor. xii. 28 Eph. iv. 11. who had extraordinary gifts for explaining the word of God; fo instruction and confirmation in the truths of it; and had the gift of tongues, t preach in them to all nations; such were in the church at Antioch, and suc were Silas and Judas, Acts xiii. 1. and xv. 22. and who also had the gift o foretelling future events; as Agabus, and others, who were of great use to th

thurches in those times, Acts xi. 28. and xxi. 10. This office is also no more; only the ordinary gift of interpreting the scriptures is sometimes called prophesying, and those who have it prophets.

III. Evangelists: This name is sometimes given to the writers of the four gospels; two of which were apostles, Matthew and John; the other two, evangelists, Mark and Luke: evangelists were companions of the apostles in their travels, assistants to them in their work, and who were sent by them here and there, with messages from them to the churches, where they had been, and to finish what they had begun; for which purpose they were sometimes left in certain places; but not to reside and continue there. This office is now extinct; only that every truly gospel-preacher may be called an evangelist, or evangelizer. The ordinary officers of the church are pastors and deacons, and these only; though antichrist has introduced a rabble of other officers, the scripture knows nothing of.

I. Pastors: these are shepherds under Christ, the great Shepherd and Bishop of souls; who take the care of the flock, and feed it, as their name significs; such were promised to be given under the gospel-dispensation; and such Christ has given to his churches, Jer. iii. 15. Eph. iv. 11. and still gives; to whom he says, as he did to Peter, Feed my lambs, feed my sheep, John xxi. 15, 16. These are the same with teachers, according to Eph. iv. 11. Some pastors and teachers; not some pastors and some teachers, as if they were different; but and teachers, the xal, or and, being exegetical, explaining what is meant by pastors, even such who are teachers, to instruct in the knowledge of divine things; which is the pastor's work, to feed men with knowledge and understanding: and it may be observed, that in 1 Cor. xii. 28. where the several officers of the church are enumerated, mention is made of teachers, but pastors omitted, because they are the same; for they are not to be distinguished with respect to the place where they perform their work, as if the office of pastors was in the church, the flock they are to feed; but teachers or doctors in the school; whereas, it is certain, that a teacher is an officer in the church, as well as pastor, 1 Cor. xii. 28. nor are they to be distinguished as two distinct officers in the church, because of the subject of their ministry; the one, the pastor attending to exhortation, to things practical, and the teacher to things doctrinal, asserting, explaining, and defending the doctrines of the gospel, and refuting errors; since both belong to one and the same: if these were distinct, it should scem rather that teachers design gifted brethren, called to minister the word, but not to office-power; and are only assistants to pastors in preaching, but not in the administration of the ordinances; yet it is pretty plain, that those who have a commission to teach, have also a commission to baptize, and to attend to whatsoever Christ has commanded; yea, it may be observed, that even extraordinary officers are called teachers; as apostles and prophets.-These pastors and teachers are the same with bishops, or overseers, whose business it is to feed the flock, they have the episcopacy or oversight of, which is the work

pastors are to do; which office of a bishop is a good work; and is the only office in the church distinct from that of deacon.-And these bishops are the same with elders; when the apostle Paul had called together at Miletus the elders of the church at Ephesus, he addressed them as overseers, πIOXO85 bishops, Acts xx. 17, 28. and when he says, he left Titus in Crete, to ordain elders in every city, he proceeds to give the qualifications of an elder, under the name of a bishop; A bishop must be blameless, &c. plainly suggesting, that an elder and a bishop are the same, Tit. i. 5-7. and the apostle Peter exhorts the elders, to feed the flock of God, taking the oversight, eniσnons, acting the part of a bishop, or performing the office of one, I Pet. v. 1, 2.-These pastors, tea chers, bishops, and elders, are called rulers, guides, and governors. A pastor or shepherd, is the governor and guide of his flock; a teacher, and a ruling elder are the same, 1 Tim. v. 17. One qualification of a bishop is, that he know how to rule his own house; or how shall he take care of the church of God, to rule that well, which is a considerable branch of his office? 1 Tim iii. 1-5. these, indced, are not to lord it over God's heritage, or rule according to their own wills, in an arbitrary manner; but according to the laws of Christ as King of saints; and then they are to be respected and obeyed; Remember them that have the rule over you, and obey them; for they are over the churche in the Lord, and under him as the great Lawgiver in his house; and though they are described as such who have the rule over churches, and are guides to them, Heb. xiii. 7, 17. yet they are the churches servants, for Jesus's sake 2 Cor. iv. 5.-These are sometimes called the angels of the churches; so the pastors, elders, bishops, or overseers of the seven churches of Asia, are calle the angels of the seven churches; and the pastor, elder, bishop, or overseer o the church at Ephesus, the angel of the church at Ephesus, Rev. i 20. and ii.1 so called because of their office, being sent of God, and employed by him in carrying messages of grace to the churches, and publishing the good tidings of silvation. They are said to be ministers of Christ, or his under-rowers, as the wold ungeras, signifies, 1 Cor. iv. 1. the church is the ship or boat, which they work; Christ is the pilot, who is at the helm, under whom, and by whose direction they row; and the oars they row with are the word, ordi nances, and discipline they administer. And in the same place,-They ar called, Stewards of the mysteries of God; and sometimes, Geod stewards of the manifold grace of God; that is, of the more sublime truths of the gospel, and the various doctrines of divine grace, 1 Pet iv. 10. so a bishop or elder is called a steward of God, Tit. i. 7. a steward in his house or family, to give to every one in it their portion of meat in due season; and which office requires wisdom and faithfulness, to execute it aright, Luke xii. 42. 1 Cor. iv. 2. Concerning these persons may be observed,

J. The qualifications of them for their office; which, as it is a good office, the necessary qualifications should be found in those who are put into it, and which the apostle directs to, 1 Tim. iii. 1. &c. Some of which,

1. Respect the internal and spiritual character and accomplishments of a bishop or elder. As, 1. He must not be a novice; which does not mean a young man; for such an one was Timothy himself, to whom the apostle writes, who was more than an ordinary officer, even an evangelist; hence he says, Let no man despise thy youth, 1 Tim. iv. 12. but the word wropuros, translated novice, signifies, one newly planted', that is, in the church of God; there must be time, after such a plant is planted, to observe whether it has taken good root, and how it grows and thrives, and whether a plant of Christ's heavenly Father's planting. A bishop or elder should be first of some standing in the church, before he is called to such an office, that his gifts, grace, and conduct may be known, lest being lifted up with pride, elated with the high station he is advanced to, and with the gifts he is supposed to have, he fall into the condemnation of the devil; fall by pride as he did, and under the sane sentence, and be degraded from his office. 2. He must have a competency of knowledge and understanding in divine things; for a pastor is to feed men with knowledge and understanding; and therefore must have a good share of it himself, that so he may be able to teach others also, 2 Tim. ii. 2 this is a princi pal part of his work, to teach and instruct men in the knowledge of evangelical truths; in which he should be assiduous; He that teacheth, on teaching, Rom, xii. 7. and for this he must have a ministerial gift; which is not natural parts, nor human learning, nor grace in common with other christians; which, though all needful and useful, yet neither of them separately, nor all together, will qualify a man to be a public teacher of the word. He must have a special and peculiar gift from Christ; such as he received at his ascension, and gives to men, to ordinary ministers of the word; and it was according to the measure of such a gift, though a large one, the apostle Paul himself was made a minister of the gospel, and to such a gift he ascribes his being one, Eph. iii. 7, 8. and iv. 7, 8. 3. He must not only be able to teach, but he must be apt to teach; which aptitude lies in a good degree of elocution, and a free utterance of speech; fot it is of little avail what is a man's capacity, what the furniture of his mind, and what stock of knowledge he has, unless he can clothe his ideas with proper words to convey the understanding of them to others; the royal preacher sought to find out acceptable words; such as were suitable to express his meaning, and to give delight and pleasure, as well as yield profit to them that heard him; and especially the taught words of the Holy Ghost are to be made use of. Apollos was an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, well versed in them, and which greatly improved his gift of elocution; a good textuary makes a good preacher; a free and ready utterance is necessary; such an one is like the scribe and housholder, Matt. xiii. 52. The apostle Paul himself desired the Ephesians to pray for him, that utterance might be given him, Eph. vi. 19.

Novan plantam, Grotius; Nuper baptizatum & ascriptum in numerum christianorum, Vatablus.

11. There are other qualifications of a bishop or pastor, which respect his domestic character. He must be the husband of one wife: this does not oblige a bishop or elder to be a married man; nor restrain from a second marriage after the decease of his wife; only that he should have but one wife at a time. Polygamy having been much in use among Jews and Gentiles, the first christians were not easily brought off of that practice; however, the apostle thought fit to enjoin that a bishop or pastor should not practice it, that he might not set an example of it, which might serve to countenance and continue it; there were some peculiar laws respecting the marriage of the high priest among the Jews, and by which it seems he was to have but one wife, Lev. xxi. 13, 14. and much the same laws are directed to for priests or ministers of the word, under the gospel-dispensation, Ezek. xliv. 22. also a bishop or elder must be one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity, or reverence of him; obedient to his commands, and who behave respectably to him; and especially he should be careful to lay his commands, upon them to keep the ways of the Lord, and to restrain them from vices, and severely reprove them for them; in which good old Eli was deficient, and therefore blamed and corrected for it: the apostle gives a good and strong reason why a bishop or elder should have this qualification; For, says he, if a man know not how to rule his own house, or family, how shall he take care of the house of God?

III. There are other qualifications, which respect his personal character, conduct, and behaviour. As, 1. That he must be blameless in his conver sation. So the priests under the law were to have no blemish on them, nor any natural defect in them, Lev. xxi. 17-23. though they were men encom passed with moral infirmities. And this rule, respecting a bishop or pastor of a church, does not imply that he must be perfect and without sin, only that he should not be guilty of any scandalous sin, and especially should not live in any known sin; otherwise there is no man, not the best of men, without sin no, not in the highest office; the prophets of the Old Testament, and the apost tles of the New, were men of like passions with others. 2. Such an on must be of good behaviour, and must have a good report of them that are without he should have a good report of all men, as Demetrius had; not only of the church and its members, of those that are within, to whom he is to be an example in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity, 1 Tim. iv. 12 but of those without the church, the men of the world; that the ministry be not blamed and had in contempt, the ways of God, and doctrines of Christ evil spoken of, and the ministers usefulness to the souls of men hindered. 3. He must not be given to any vice; Not given to wine, that is, to excessive drinking of it; otherwise it is no more criminal to drink that than to drink water; and Timothy is advised by the apostle to refrain from drinking water, and to make use of wine, for his health's sake, chap. v. 23. nor given to quarrels; he must be no striker, neither with his fist nor with his tongue; ne