prior to his second coming to Ephesus, (Acts xviii. 24

28. xix. 1. 1 Cor. xvi. 12.) It is certain, therefore, that the epistle to Titus was not written before that period. From the apostle's arrival at Ephesus until the termination of his first imprisonment, there was no possibility of leaving Titus in Crete, Tit. i. 5, except he landed a prisoner there on his voyage to Rome, and had Titus then with him, neither of which appears.

This portion of the apostle's labors, being usually misrepre sented, may be understood by any who will open unto the following proofs:

66

From Ephesus, Paul, having sent Erastus and Timothy into Macedonia, Acts xix. 22; 1 Cor. iv. 17, xvi. 10, wished Apollos to return to Corinth, 1 Cor. xvi. 12, to settle the discord, 1 Cor. i. 10 -12, but he refusing, Titus was sent with the first epistle to that church, 2 Cor. ii. 13, vii. 6—13. Paul remaining at Ephesus three years, Acts xx. 31, Timothy must have returned to him, 1 Cor. xvi. 11, where he left him, 1 Tim. i. 3, after the riot, Acts xx. 1, and went to Troas, expecting to meet Titus, 2 Cor. ii. 12. Although he found an 'open door" there, ibid. 12, he went into Macedonia, ibid. 13, and whilst “going over those parts," Acts xx. 2, Titus came to him, 2 Cor. vii. 6, and Timothy also; for he is joined in the second epistle to the Corinthians, c. i. 1, with which Titus was sent back to Greece, 2 Cor. viii. 18. Then Paul, who had intended to have gone by Corinth into Macedonia, 2 Cor. i. 15, 23, went from Macedonia into Greece, and abode three months, Acts xx. 2, 3, and there wrote his letter to the Romans, Rom. xv. 25, 26. His design of going from Corinth to Judea, 2 Cor. i. 16; Rom. xv. 31, by Ephesus, 1 Tim. iii. 14, iv. 13, being prevented by the Jews, Acts xx. 3, he went through Macedonia to Troas, ibid. 4, 5, sailed past Ephesus, called at Miletus, Acts xx. 16, 17, and came to Jerusalem, Acts xxi. 17. There being apprehended, he was sent to Cæsarea, and remained two years in prison, till Festus came into office, Acts xxiv. 27, who sent him by sea to Italy, Acts xxvii. 1. The company touched at Crete, Acts xxvii. 8, but left it, ibid. 13, 21, were wrecked on Mileta, delayed three months, ibid. xxviii. 1, 11, and arrived at Rome, ver. 16, where Paul remained a prisoner in his house for two years, ver. 30. Here he wrote his epistle to the Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon, in which Timothy is joined. He also sent, at this time, his letter to the Ephesians by Tychicus, Timothy having probably gone to Philippi, Phil. ii. 19, is not named; but was expected, when he wrote to the Hebrews, Heb. xiii. 2, 3, a little before his enlargement. It is, therefore, also clear, that Paul had not written his letter to Titus prior to his discharge at Rome.

Titus was appointed to discharge an important duty, when Paul sent him to Corinth, with his first epistle to that church, to rectify the disorders of a congregation, which possessed high advantages for language, science, and polished manners, and in which no officers appear to have been appointed. He was successful, and met Paul in Macedonia, to communicate the particulars of the affairs at Corinth. Being sent to them with the second epistle, he was followed by the apostle in person. This confidential service, compared with the circumstance, that no such apology was written in behalf of Titus, as of Timothy, affords some ground to presume, that Paul had previous experience of the prudence and fidelity of Titus.

The epistle to Titus expressly limits his service in Crete to the arrival of a substitute, who was to be sent, Titus iii. 12; it can never, therefore, let us suppose it to have been written when it may, prove a permanent connexion between this evangelist and the churches of Crete.

As Titus was to ordain elders in every city, it may be inferred, there were none until constituted by him, this being one of the things left undone, ta heinov7a, Titus i. 5. To suppose there were, is also to conflict with his practice of first planting, and afterwards ordaining. But when this work had been performed, or progressed in by him for some time, he was to meet Paul at Nicopolis. Those whom he had ordained, and others, whom Artemas, or Tychicus, might afterwards commission as elders, continued, it may be fairly presumed, the succession of their ordinary office, as every where else.

If it could be proved, that Titus died in Crete, it would no more establish that he was bishop of Crete, than his death at Corinth or at Dalmatia, where the Scriptural record leaves him, (2 Tim. iv. 10,) would have evinced that he was bishop of either of those places.

The verb translated "appointed," (Titus i, 5,) is

never once used in the New Testament in the sense of, to ordain to an office; but was in this instance designed to refer Titus to the particular directions Paul had given him, when he left him in Crete. The apostle gave him no new commission; he was to exercise the office, which he already had, towards any people to whom he was sent.

The apostles received an extraordinary commission, which may be said to have virtually contained all the offices, which have been legitimately distinguished by the church since the day of Pentecost; and thus they were the predecessors of all other church officers. This high commission was necessarily limited to them, (2 Cor. i. 15. Gal. i. 12. 1 Cor. ix. 1.) And there is little more propriety in bringing the apostolic office down to a level with that of presbyters or bishops, or of elevating the latter to the grade of the former, than of supposing every governor an alderman, or every alderman a governor of a state, because commissioned by such.

Titus exercised an office evidently inferior to that of Paul, for he went and came, preached, planted churches, and ordained bishops according to the directions of the apostle. He attended upon his person, and did the work of an apostle, in subordination to him. So far as appears from the New Testament, his work was not fixed, or stationary, more than that of the apostle; but it as far exceeded that of a modern diocesan bishop, as this does that of a bishop in the days of the apostles.

The practice of Paul was to carry the gospel into strange places, collect worshiping assemblies; and afterwards to return and ordain elders of those who had some experience. Pursuing the same reasonable course, he first collected churches in Crete, left them worshiping assemblies, and having given instructions to Titus to ordain such as were fit to be officers in the churches, he left him to accomplish what the apostle would have done, had he tarried longer, and gone

through those congregations a second time. Thus the churches in Crete were furnished, as other places were, with presbyters, or bishops, who could afterwards continue a regular administration of ordinances, by commissioning others of the same order in succession.

SECTION XXVII.

THE FIXED STATE, AND ORDINARY OFFICERS OF THE PRIMITIVE CHURCHES.

Under the spiritual dispensation of the gospel, the extraordinary officers were the apostles, to confer gifts and teach by means of the inspiration of sugges tion; the evangelists, to plant and water churches; prophets, with occasional inspiration to explain the Scriptures.-The gifts are described, 1 Cor. xii. 28; Rom. xii. 6-8; Ephes. iv. 11, 12.-Officers qualified to administer ordinances, succeeded the extraordinary gifts, and churches, which were Christian societies, were substituted for the synagogues.-But two orders or kinds were adopted-presbyters, who were called also pastors and bishops, to teach, ordain, administer baptism and the eucharist, and to govern, and deacons to serve.-Among the presbyters, a bench of which was at first in every church, and but one presbytery in a society or city, there was one who presided, denominated poolws, angel, and by other names; yet the ordination was not different from that of the rest.—The first change was by a gradual transition into pastoral or parochial episcopacy, afterwards into diocesan.—This was established by the council of Nice, and at length produced papacy.

To acquire just views of the government of the churches of the apostles' days, it is proper to abandon all ideas of later changes, and retain only that knowledge, which Jewish believers had, prior to the descent of the Spirit upon them on the day of Pentecost.

The Mosaic dispensation terminated with the rending of the vail of the temple, Christ having been a minister of the circumcision to fulfil the law, the sacrifices of which were to be superseded by his own. The seventy disciples could not have been officers of the kingdom then to come; but, like those of the Baptist,

a Rom. xv. 8; vide Matt. xv. 24, xx. 28; Matt. x. 5. viii. 4, xxviii. 19.