16 A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. a set of men, or such officers in thechristian church, as may lead divine worship in their assemblies, and may celebrate the institu- tions of the gospel among them. We find their names and titles frequentlymentioned as pastors, teachers, elders, bishops, shep- herds, &,c. We find the duties of their station often spoken of, the characters and qualification of the persons described, their support provided for, and the people's duty to them enjoined. And since the church is to continue to the end of the world, or till Christ comes again from heaven, it is plain there must be always such persons to minister in holy things in every age. In the very primitive times there was a great variety of talents and capacities, for the ministrations of Christian worship, conferred by inspiration upon thosewho embraced the religion of Christ : These were taught of God in a more immediate man- ner*: And where these extraordinary gifts were numerous, either they ,needed no other preachers, teachers, or ministers, always supposing some wise person amongst them to be a erpotroc, a president, or chairman, who, bynatural rules of prudence and order, should keep their various performances within the limits of decency and edification ; or, at least, they were not yet fur- nished with particular officers, being then- but in an imperfect state as.to regular order. Suchwas the Corinthianchurch : And where any apostle or evangelist was present, he is reasonably supposed to preside ; or, in his absence, he sometimes gives direction for their conduct, as though he were present 1 Cor. v. 3, 4. But in other churches, where these gifts were but few, the chief possessors of them, and especially the early and more ex- perienced converts, were chosen out to be elders, or guides, and leaders of their worship, pastors, or teachers, according to their peculiar talents of exhortation, or of instruction : And they were sometimes called overseers, that is, bishops, having an oversight of the people, and their behaviour; being reasonably supposed to know more of the will of Christ than the common people, and to be more solicitous for the honour of christianity, and for its pre- servation. It is probable that sometimes these elders, or overseers, which words are used promiscuously in several places of the New Testamentt, might be pointed out by the direction of a spirit of * These gifts were so much distributed in that day among the Christians at Jerusalem, that even the deacons, who wereappointed to take care of the poor, had such extraordinary gifts and exercised them now and then in teaching the people as evangelists, See Acts vi. 2, 3. t It may not be improper in this place to point out the chief scriptures where these characters are usedpromiscuously, and seem to denote one and the same office. Acts so. 17. From Miletus Paul sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. But in verse 28, St. Paul calls these very persons overseers, ftsaar, bishops ; Tit. i. 5. Ordainelders in every city; verse S. ¡f any be blame- ices. For in verse 7, a bishop- must be blameless 1 Pet. v. 1, 2. The elders which
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