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The Diftinction between APOSTLES, ELDERS, and BRETHREN.

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HE appellation of apoftles, elders, and brethren, occur often feparately in the New Teftament; and the famous letter mentioned Acts xv. 23. going from them jointly (as comprehending the whole.church at Jerufalem) to the brethren which were of the Gentiles, in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia; and it being of such confequence to the right understanding the New Teftament, to under ftand the character of an apoftle; and of fo much difficulty to understand what is meant by an elder in this text: and it being imposfible to know what is meant by brethren without understanding what is meant by the other two: I have thought it might be of fome use to confider each of them by themfelves: and then briefly to consider the state of the church at that time, as far as their VOL. II.

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acting together on this occafion will open it unto us. By which we may better comprehend not only what is meant by each of these characters, but what was the ftate of the christian church, in the early times of the apostles.

The first time we meet with the name of apostles, is Luke vi. 12, 13. "And it came "to pafs in those days, that Jefus went into "a mountain to pray, and continued all night

in prayer to God; and when it was day, "he called unto him his disciples, and of "them he chofe twelve, whom he also nam"ed apoftles:" defigning to fend them to preach the kingdom of God. Our Saviour praying all night before his choice (or fpending the whole night" in an house of prayer”), might perhaps be directed by God, whom to choofe for this high and important office: for Jefus fays in his prayer to God, fpeaking of the twelve," those that thou haft given me have kept." And Peter declares,

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the witneffes to whom Chrift fhewed him"felf openly, were chofen of God ;" and for this reafon St. Paul, who was not one whit behind the chiefeft of the apostles, calls himself "an apoftle of God," as well as of Christ, in most of his epiftles: and afferts,

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2 John xvii. 6. b Acts x. 41. I Cor. i. 1. 2 Cor. i. 1. Gal. i. 1. Eph. i. 1. Col. i. 1. í Tim. i. 1, 2 Tim. i. 1. Tit. i, 1.

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that God had feparated him for this work“from his mother's womb;" (alluding to his feparation, as a Pharifee, that pretended to be feparated from the rest of mankind by their greater fanctity): as he likewise says, that Ananias told him, "that the God of our "fathers had chofen him "." Some time after Jefus had chofen his twelve difciples, "He called them together, and gave them

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power and authority over all devils, and to "cure difeafes, and fent them to preach the kingdom of God, and heal the fick f." Mark gives us much the fame account of Chrift's choofing them; and Matthew and Mark of Chrift's fending them "; but Matthew takes no notice of Chrift's choofing them. Thus however we fee they were to go" and preach the kingdom of "God:" or at least to preach the kingdom of God fo far as to fay "it was at hand. And therefore as John Baptift had only preached, that "the kingdom of heaven (or the kingdom that God was fetting up in the world under Chrift, the kingdom foretold by Daniel*, understood by the Jews, and expected by the world, as Mr. Sykes has with great labour and skill proved to be the mean

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ing of this, and the like phrases, in every text of the New Teftament where they occurr) was at hand:" So Jefus himself preaches in the fame terms ", and orders his apoftles to preach in the very fame alfo; fuitably to the prayer he afterwards inftructed them in, Thy kingdom come ":" and he not only taught, but (as John did) baptized men into the faith that the Meffiah was to be made "manifeft; or, that the kingdom of heaven "was at hand." It is at least most probable, that when Chrift baptized by his difciples, he baptized men into the fame faith that John Baptift did: for it cannot be fuppofed, that he ordered his disciples to baptize them into his own name, as the Meffiah, when he never published that he was the Mefiah. hirfelf and forbid his difciples to divulge it till he was rifen from the dead. We may better understand what the apostles were commillioned to preach, by what St. Mark informs us of the manner in which they executed that commiffion; which was by "going out, and preaching that men "fhould repent." Or we may put the account of the commiffion and of the execution together and then it will be, that Jefus fent

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John iii. 22.

• Matt. xvi. 20. xvii. 9. Luke ix. 20, 21.

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