Christ himself. The late Dr. Macknight, a minister of the Scottish establishment, says in his commentary, "Since it appears from 2 Tim. i. 6, that the apostle, by the imposition of his own hands alone, conferred on Timothy the spiritual gifts here mentioned, we must suppose that the eldership at Lystra laid their hands on him only to show their concurrence with the apostle in setting Timothy apart to the ministry by prayer." The ordination of Timothy, therefore, according to this learned commentator, was the act of an apostle, not of a presbytery. Timothy was desired by St. Paul to abide at Ephesus. That he was there as an apostle or bishop, is evident from the power and offices committed to him. He was to be resident at Ephesus; and although for the public business of the church, he might occasionally be called away, yet the concurrent evidence of all antiquity informs us that there he lived and died. St. Paul gave

him directions for episcopal deportment. He also gave him supreme jurisdiction over all, both clergy and laity. "Rebuke not an elder, but entreat him as a father, and the young men as sons, the elder women as mothers, and the younger as sisters, with all purity." He therefore had authority over the laity. As touching the clergy, he says, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.

Against an elder receive not an accusation but before two or three witnesses; them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear." The Greek word here translated accusation," (xarnyoglav) signifies an accusation made before a judge in open court. This, then, clearly raises Timothy in authority above the clergy of his diocese of Ephesus. He had no court of presbyters on an equality with himself in power and authority, among whom he sat merely as a moderator or president. Nay, he alone sat upon the bench-he alone was judge-he alone heard causes pleaded before him, received accusations against offending presbyters-and alone rebuked and passed sentence upon them. As St. James, bishop of Jerussalem, declared, "My sentence is," or "I decree," so did Timothy.

His judicial office of bishop of Ephesus or apostle to the Ephesians, is completely established by this; and it is impossible to conceive that St. Paul would have given this power to one individual elder or presbyter of the church of Ephesus, if the divine and recognised system of church government had been at Ephesus or any other Christianized city, that which is set up in these days, and called Presbyterianism, where an ecclesiastical court is composed of presbyters, all of whom have the same rank, and authority, and power, before whom collectively a delinquent minister is tried, and by whom

collectively, sentence is passed, and not by the chairman and moderator, as the annually elected president is called. The office of Timothy was not peculiar to himself, it was the same as that of the seven angels of the Asiatic churches; and if we find in these eight instances, eight persons invested with supreme spiritual authority, and that, over the people as well as the clergy, what conclusion can we draw but that that order or system, universally prevailed over the whole Christian church; and that it did so prevail, even among the most notable heretics, every ancient writer, from Ignatius the disciple of St. John the Evangelist, assures us.

Let us now pass on from this part of the office, which seems to be so accurately defined as not to be mistaken, and let us examine in what other respects it resembles the apostolic. "Lay hands suddenly upon no man," says St. Paul. It will not surely be denied, that this means imposition of hands in ordination; but if so, then we are assured of it in the apostle's second epistle to Timothy-" and the things thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." The apostle writeth not to the presbytery of Ephesus to lay their hands suddenly on no man, neither were they charged to commit the dispensation of the gospel to faithful men. Το

Timothy, and to Timothy alone, was the commission given. He must therefore have been of apostolic rank, for he was empowered to ordain others, even as St. Paul had ordained him, and as the twelve apostles ordained the seven deacons.

We will now refer to the epistle to Titus,-" For this cause," says the apostle, "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." To Titus, then, as well as to Timothy, the faculty of ordaining and governing was given. He was also commanded to rebuke sharply vain talkers and deceivers, who taught things that they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake; "likewise, a man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject." In these particulars, then, the office of Titus corresponded with that held by Timothy; and in the epistles addressed to them, we find mention of three distinct orders of ministers,-first, Timothy and Titus, apostles, or as they are now called, bishops, clothed with power to ordain the two subordinate degrees of bishops, or elders, and deacons. Of these orders, the apostolic was the highest; highest in point of origin and in power; that Christ Jesus was the founder of it, and that it was to be perpetual, is proved from the words of its Divine Author,-" Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." I

have proved that St. Paul the apostle did communicate to others that authority which he derived from Christ, and that he enjoined them also to continue the priesthood by ordination.

Having, then, established three links of the chain apostolic, I shall now proceed to consider the doctrine of the apostolic succession. The apostolic succession is a vital spark, an indispensable essence of the ministerial office, and of infinitely greater importance than the three orders. For whether there were fifty degrees, or only one, it would signify nothing, except their authority had been transmitted to them without interruption from the apostles, to whom alone the Saviour gave power to order all things in his spiritual kingdom. But why should the apostolic succession be called in question? Why should it be necessary to insist upon this in matters ecclesiastical ? And why should it appear to any one a non-essential in affairs purely spiritual? In temporal matters relating to government, all things must be done according to law, to render them obligatory; and no one can either frame laws, or put them into execution, except the government of the country, and the officers appointed by the government. Were any one indiVidual to frame a document perfect in all legal technicalities, containing the most wholesome rules and regulations, and to which no lover of order could in