there were doubtless many in every such church?

In stating these facts I have carefully avoided the use of the word "Bishop," in order to prevent the possibility of disputing about words, instead of things: for certain it is that the terms bishops and presbyters are frequently employed in the New Testament indiscriminately, with reference to the ordinary ministers of the word and sacraments. And it was not until the Apostles delegated their authority to certain chosen members of the presbytery to ordain other presbyters, and to overlook them, as well as the laity, that the term Bishop became so restricted in its application, whilst that of Presbyter was employed to designate the intermediate order of ministers.

Hence it follows that the Church of Christ has ever, even from the earliest times, been governed and served by three orders of men. During the life-time of those to whom the Saviour left the entire

government of his Church, they were termed Apostles, Bishops, or Presbyters, and Deacons. Subsequently to the Apostles, those who succeeded to their authority in the government of Christ's flock were called Bishops; and from that day to this the universal Church, with the exception of a few sects which have sprung up within the last three hundred years, has recognized the threefold order of Bishop, Priest, and Deacon, as emanating from the appointment of those inspired men, to whom authority had been given by the Saviour to make every necessary arrangement for the permanent welfare of his numerous household.

To every member of the English Church it should be a subject of joy and thankfulness, that when we shook off from us the corruptions of popery in the sixteenth century, we did not cast away, at the same time, the invaluable blessing of Episcopal government-a blessing provided for us when Christianity first planted its foot on

this island, several centuries before popery had either existence or a name.

From this lengthened digression let us recur once more to the passage we are considering: "And when they had or dained them elders in every Church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they be lieved."

There is something very touching in the description here given of the affectionate solicitude which the Apostles felt for their converts. They prayed for them "with fasting." They prayed therefore with the utmost seriousness and solemnity. They did not content themselves with using a few cold expressions, or uttering a few customary petitions in their behalf: they made their intercessory prayer on this occasion a solemn business. They laid aside every other duty for a season, and expressed, both to God and man, the earnestness of their minds by afflicting their souls with fasting. And oh! with

what fervour would they commend their beloved converts to the grace of the Redeemer to the love, the protection, the guidance of Him in whom they had believed. We We may form some idea of the expressions which they would employ at such times by adverting to those which we find in St. Paul's Epistles to the several Churches. Take, for instance, those which we meet with in 1st Thessalonians, iii. 11-13: "Now God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ direct our way unto you. And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one towards another, and towards all men, even as we do towards you: to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." And again, chap. v. 23: "And

the

very God of peace sanctify you wholly : and I pray God your whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus

Christ." Happy the Church when thus interceded for by her spiritual Rulers! And thrice happy those Rulers when thus interceding for the Church.

"And

After this manner Paul and Barnabas passed through the provinces of Pisidia and Pamphylia; and after spending some time in Perga, where they had formerly landed from Cyprus, and preaching the gospel there, they changed the latter part of their tour and came to Attalia, another sea-port town of that country. thence," we are told in the 26th verse, "they sailed to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they fulfilled." This Antioch was not the smaller city of the same name near Iconium, but a principal city in Syria, where the number of disciples was so great, as to render it, for a season, a sort of Christian metropolis. The manner in which Barnabas and Paul had been recommended to the grace of God by the sacred community in that