entirely without the authority of any copy to fupport it, but, I think, contrary to the context; where Paul, laying afide all authority, as an apoftle or an ambaffador, applies himfelf to move Philemon by fuch confiderations as right engage the tender paffions of his mind: fuch as "Paul the prifoner of Jefus "Chrift" could ufe to " Philemon, his dearly "beloved and fellow-labourer; whom tho' "he might have been bold to enjoin, yet "chooses for love's fake to befeech, being "fuch an one as Paul the aged, and now alfo "the prifoner of Jefus Chrift, for his fon "Onefimus, begot in his bonds"." Thefe elders having fuch endowments and advantages above other Chriftians, the firft minifters of the church were generally of them; the first deacons were, in all probability, chosen out of them, fince they were appointed presently after Chrift's afcenfion, and were then faid to be" full of the Holy Ghoft;" a phrase, which, as I have obferved before, fignifies thofe who had a plentiful effufion of the gifts of the Holy Ghoft, by the Holy Ghoft's falling on them, without the laying on of hands, and therefore muft fignify fome of the one hundred and twenty, or of the apostles company, in this text, on whom the Holy y Ver. 1. * Ver. 9, 10. Ghoft Ghoft feems to have fallen twice before this time. Out of thefe it is likely the first prophets and teachers were taken, and the great propagators of chriftianity, next to the apoftles. Thus Philip, one of the feven, went to Samaria, and preached the word. And he was an Evangelift alfo. And the church of Jerufalem "fent forth Barnabas" (another of the apoftles company, and who was also a prophet, and a teacher, before he was an apoftle, that he should go as far as Antioch. Judas and Silas are faid to be "chief men "among the brethren (vdges yuevo,) probably, as being of the one hundred and twenty. They were also prophets, and " exhorted the "brethren with many words, and confirmed "them." It is of fome of thefe one hundred and twenty, perhaps, that St. James fpeaks,when he orders the "fick to fend for the elders of the "church, and to pray over them, and anoint "them with oil in the name of the Lord;" affuring them, that the elders " prayer of "faith fhould heal them h." This is the most probable, if St. James wrote his epistle out of Palestine, and wrote it to the Jews of the twelve tribes in Judæa, as well as to the Jews of the twelve tribes fcattered abroad (as seems b Acts ii. 3. iv. 31. L 4 • Ibid. xxi. 8. e Ibid. xi. 22. g Ver. 32. to to be intimated by chap. i. ver. 18. and by fome paffages in the fourth and fifth chapters, as Dr. Whitby obferves in his preface to this epiftle); fince then, in all probability, by the "elders of the chufch," he might point chiefly at the elders of the church of Jerufalem: though to be fure this direction referred to elders every where else where they might happen to be, or even to other elders, who, by way of analogy to thefe first elders, were called elders afterwards, if they had the prayer of faith. And though, after the churches multiplied, others than these were called elders; yet they, being fuch as were generally of the firft-fruits of the apoftles converfion in the places where they fixed them, and being perfons of the greatest knowledge, experience, and gravity among them, were called elders in fome analogy to the one hundred and twenty, who were firft, and most properly, called by that name. And I am of opinion, that these firftfruits of the apoftles converfion had every where a greater measure of the more excellent gifts of the Holy Ghost imparted to them, through the laying on of the apostles hands, than others, in analogy to the still higher communications that came immediately on the apoftles and their company, the devout Gentiles at Cæfarea, and the idolatrous Gentiles at Antioch in Pifidia, who were in the moft most proper and high sense the first-fruits of the Chriftian church. A readiness to believe the gospel was the highest proof of an honest, worthy, and well-difpofed mind. No wonder then, if they should have more choice gifts conferred on them, and in a higher degree, than others, who were more backward to receive it, and confequently not fo well difpofed. And if fuch a proportion and analogy was observed by God between the first-fruits of the whole Chriftian church and the firstfruits of particular countries and churches, it was but correfpondent to other proportions and analogies, that offer themselves to those that read the hiftory of the first propagation of the Chriftian religion with due care and attention. And I am very much inclined to think, that these first-fruits of countries and churches having more choice gifts, or in a greater degree, than others, was one reafon why these first-fruits (aπapxai) were so highly honoured in the apoftolic and immediately fucceeding times, as well as their earlier conversion: perhaps the greater of the two. It is probable, that these first-fruits generally had the gift of teaching, which, by the rank it is always placed in among the gifts of the Spirit, feems to be the fourth; namely, after that of apostles, prophets of the highest rank, and evangelifts, and before all the reft. It is very probable, on thefe accounts, that it was was fome of thefe firft-fruits that Paul and Barnabas declared to be elders in every church in their first apoftolic journey. Timothy, being the first-fruits of a fecond apoftolic journey, Paul would have to go forth with him; though perhaps prophecy of some of the prophets concurred to induce Paul to take him with him as an evangelift. And in this fense perhaps it is that Paul fays to the elders of the church of Ephefus, that the Holy Ghost had made them overfeers or bishops of that flock. Perhaps they were the twelve difciples of John Baptift, who were the firstfruits of Ephefus, and had the gifts that fitXted them to be bifhops, to feed the church, 66 and take heed to the flock. And Clement fays moft expreffly to this purpose, in his epiftle, fpeaking of the apoftles, They "therefore, preaching the word thro' divers "countries and cities, ordained there the firft"fruits of fuch as believed, having made proof " and trial of them by the Spirit, to be bifhops" (which with Clement is always the fame with elders or prefbyters, as any one muft fee if they read the epiftle, or, if they can doubt of it, must be fully convinced by the notes of the learned Mr. Burton upon it) “and deacons over fuch as fhould afterwards "believe." I cannot tell whether Clement does not afterwards intend to tell us that the 66 |