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to Timothy. He was cautioned by the apostle to preach "sound doctrine," and to "speak, exhort, and rebuke with all authority." (Titus ii. 1, 15.) He was an itinerant minister. The apostle left him in Crete to regulate the affairs of the churches, and informed him that a successor would be sent by and by, and that his services would be wanted at Nicopolis. (Tit. i. 5 ; iii. 12.) And we learn from the epistles that he was much employed, like Timothy, in visiting and settling the churches. As both were devoted to the same work, they were undoubtedly officers of the same rank. Titus was directed to appoint elders. "For this cause 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." (Tit. i. 5.) Timothy had a similar power; for after the apostle had described the qualifications of a bishop or elder, and deacon, he remarks, "These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: but if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Tim. iii. 14, 15.) As the description of the qualifications of elders and deacons was given to direct the conduct of Timothy in the church, in case the apostle should delay his visit, it is evident that the choice and appointment of the candidates rested with the evangelist. But though both Timothy and Titus had authority to appoint elders, the evangelists of our Protestants, instead of appointing them, are appointed by them, no solitary instance of which can be found in the New Testament. As you have no officers denominated deacons, I presume your poor stewards, like ours, are intended to perform the same duties as the deacons of holy writ. But your poor stewards are not appointed by the travelling preachers, or evangelists, but "by the leaders' meeting."

The evangelist Titus had authority to expel improper members. "A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; knowing that he

that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself." (Titus iii. 10, 11.) The Protestant evangelists have no authority to expel a wicked. person; in the large societies, this is done by the leaders' meeting, and in the small, by an elder in conjunction with a majority of the class; so that a travelling preacher has no voice in the affair at all!

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The evangelists had a power to elect others as their co-adjutors and successors. Timothy and Titus, and many other evangelists, were chosen by the apostles; not by a committee of elders, as yours are. the apostles could not continue by reason of death, and as they appointed evangelists to assist them in founding and governing the churches, it was a matter of importance to know how these things were to be managed when the apostles should be taken to their reward. Upon this subject St. Paul instructed Timothy: "The things which thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." (2 Tim. ii. 2.) This shows that the evangelical office was to be perpetuated in the church, and to be conferred by evangelists. Here the Protestants are outrageous against us for following the scripture plan.

In Acts xxi. 8, we read of " Philip, the evangelist, which was one of the seven." We have an account of his doings in Acts viii.: "Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. When they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women." Now read over the chapter, and try if you can find out what committee of elders sent him on this errand; and what elders, or persons deputed by them, performed the rite of baptism. It does not appear from the narrative, that Philip had a companion, or that there was a christian in Samaria prior to his preaching, and certainly not a church; there was, therefore, no other person to give the sacred rite. And towards the end of the chapter we read of Philip baptizing the eunuch,

Suppose one of your evangelists had been in Philip's place when the eunuch requested the ordinance, he must have replied, I can do nothing in the business ; it belongs to my masters the elders.

But it must not be forgotten, that in the primitive times, baptism was the rite of initiation into the church. This is apparent from Acts ii. 41,42: "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." And we never read in any part of the New Testament of any other mode of admission. Philip, therefore, by baptizing the Samaritans, received them into the church; or, as we term it, into society: and he did all this of the authority which Christ had given him; for there was neither leader, nor elder, nor local preacher, to debate the matter with him. Your evangelists have no official authority to admit any one into society.

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Your legislators have decreed, we have seen, that "missionaries shall not have any individual control over the funds of any society." Instead of this being the case with the evangelists of the Bible, the direct contrary was the truth. Philip the evangelist is said to be one of the seven;" evidently referring to Acts vi., where we find him among the seven appointed by the apostles to manage the fund for the relief of the poor. It is equally plain that Timothy was directed to exercise control over the fund for the support of poor widows at Ephesus. (1 Tim. v. 3, 16.) These are the only persons who are expressly called evangelists in the New Testament; and it turns out that they both had "control over the funds of the society." So we find the apostle giving orders respecting a collection through a whole province, and intending to receive the money himself, and to disburse it. (1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2.) Here again, therefore, your laws are as flatly opposed to scripture, as an infidel could make them.

In fact, if your law-makers had studied to contra

dict the Bible, they could not have done it more effectually. Your evangelists have no official authority to execute the smallest portion of the church's discipline. Whereas the evangelists of sacred writ were entrusted with the whole of it. Titus was left in Crete, to "set in order the things that were wanting;" which words contain a warrant, not only to ordain officers, which he is immediately directed to do, but also to perform any act of discipline, which, according to his judgment, might be necessary for the perfection of the external order of the churches. To the discretion of your evangelists nothing is left; to the discretion of the New Testament evangelists everything was intrusted. A more perfect contrast cannot be drawn.

Under cover of protesting against the itinerant ministers amongst us, your leaders are, in fact, protesting against the word of God. To represent this matter in its true light, I will set down in one column the powers of scripture evangelists, and show in the other, who exercise these powers in your connexion.

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5. Appointed elders. (1 Tim. iii. 1-15; Titus i. 5.)

6. Tried and judged elders. (1 Tim. v. 19—22.)

7. At their discretion restored those elders to communion who had been expelled. (1 Tim. v. 22.)

8. Appointed deacons, or poor stewards. (1 Tim. iii. 8 — 10.)

9. Appointed others to the evangelical office. (2 Tim. ii. 2.)

10. Had control over the funds of the society. (Acts vi. 5; 1 Tim. v. 3—16.)

11. Had the power to order and settle everything in the churches, both as regards the appointment of officers, and the removal of abuses. (Titus i. 5.)

5. Protest against it. The appointment being in the quarterly meeting. (Rules, p. 13.)

6. Protest against it vehemently. The rules are prudently silent, as to any tribunal before which elders, as such, may be arraigned.

7. Have no rules respecting the restoration of an elder, but their spirit and design loudly protest against his restoration being left to the discretion of a missionary.

8. Protest against it; the appointment being in the presiding elder and the leaders' meeting. (Rules, p. 19.)

9. Protest against it, and have transferred the power to a missionary committee, consisting of elders and others. (Mag. for Nov., p. 348.)

10. Protest against it, and place the control in the hands of the presiding elder, and the leaders' meeting. (Mag. for Nov., p. 348; Rules, p. 20.)

11. Protest against it. The evangelists, as such, have no power of admission or expulsion, as regards the meanest officers, or the private members; nor can they perform a single act of discipline: the power to do these things being lodged in other hands. (See the rules at large.*)

*There is a rule which states that "missionaries shall be entitled to attend all meetings of which elders are members; they shall be subject to the same rules as the preachers, but as missionaries they shall not be eligible for the office of presiding elder in any circuit." A querist addressed a letter to the editor of the Magazine, which is inserted in the number for December last, in which he inquires, "Are missionaries intended to be official and voting members of 'all meetings of which elders are members?"" The editor, in reply, states it as his opinion, "That it is fully intended that the missionaries shall be constituted official

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