Verse 19.-"Against a presbyter receive not an accusation, except with two or three witnesses."

James 5 14. : "If any among you is sick, let him send for the presbyters of the church, and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord." Anointing with oil was a common luxury, practised daily, like washing and dressing, and the use of perfumery. The persons to pray for the sick are the parish ministers.

1 Pet. 5: 1.—" The presbyters who are among you I exhort, who am myself a co-presbyter, and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and partaker of the glory to be revealed."

2 John, verse 1.

children."

3 John, verse 1.

"The presbyter to the elect lady and her

"The presbyter to the beloved Gaius." Пgeσßutεgiov denoted an assembly of elders among the Jews. - Luke 12: 66; Acts 22:5. The same word is used to denote a meeting of Christian ministers.

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1 Tim. 4: 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, that was given thee by prophecy, by the imposition of the hands of the presbytery, the college or association of ministers" in ordination.

The original identity of the office of bishop and presbyter is distinctly set forth in the writings of Jerome of Stridon, a monk of Palestine. Jerome was born of Christian parents, about the year A. D. 331. His father, Eusebius, gave him the best advantages for education that were to be attained at that period. He was early sent to Rome, where he studied many years under the best masters. He was baptized about the year 363, at thirtytwo years of age, and travelled extensively for his improvement. He became a monk at Trevs in Gaul, where he resided some years. He then went to Aquileia.

In 373, at forty years of age, he went to Syria. In 374 he retired to a wilderness east of Antioch, and there spent about fourteen years. In 378 or 379 he returned to Antioch, and was ordained a presbyter at the age of forty-seven. The next

year he visited Constantinople, to enjoy the instructions of Gregory Nazianzen. In 382 he went to Rome, and became an intimate friend of Damasus, bishop of Rome. He here undertook, at the suggestion of Damasus, a revision of the Latin Bible.

Giving offence by his great zeal for monasticism and other peculiarities, he left Rome in 385, with Paula, and Eustōchiuem her daughter, two wealthy Roman ladies, whom he inspired with a portion of his zeal for monasticism. He first went to Antioch, then to Jerusalem, where he spent the winter with his nuns. In the spring of 386, they went to Alexandria, and, returning the same year, they took up their residence at Bethlehem. Here Paula erected four monasteries,- three for nuns, and one for monks. In the last, Jerome spent the latter part of his life, and died A. D. 420, aged ninety. He was the best informed of all the Latin fathers in sacred literature, and was eminent for classical and general learning. His writings are numerous and valuable, embracing an improved translation of the Bible into Latin. His translation of the Bible, with slight alterations, is the standard of the Roman Catholic church at the present time. He was one of the ablest interpreters in the ancient church. This might be inferred from the fact that he was so successful as a translator.

Jerome concurs perfectly with the above, and rests his views both on the Scriptures and on tradition.

In epistle 82 to Oceanus, he says, "With the ancients, bishops and presbyters were the same; the former was a name of dignity, the latter of age." Again, he says: "The presbyter is the same as the bishop; and before, by the influence of the devil, parties were formed in religion, and it was said. among the people, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, and I of Cephas, the churches were governed by a common council of presbyters. If any one thinks that it is our opinion, and not the doctrine of the Scriptures, that the bishop and presbyter was the same, the one title a name of age, and the other, a name of office, let

him read the apostle's words to the Philippians. -1:1; Acts 20: 17, 28," &c.

The same doctrine is taught by Augustine, bishop of Hippo, in Africa, from 395 to 430, and the most eminent of all the Latin fathers, in his 82d epistle.

By Chrysostom, Hom. I. on Phil. 1: 1. Theodoret on the same. Gregory VII., A. D. 1088, c. 12, copies the passage from Jerome's epistle to Oceanus, and adds: "Since, then, presbyters and bishops are related to have been anciently the same, they doubtless had the same power of binding and absolving, and other powers now peculiar to the bishops."

Pope Urban II., a. D. 1091.—“We say that the orders of deacons and presbyters are sacred, since the primitive church is related to have had them alone." Gratian says: "Formerly, presbyters ruled the church in common, and ordained priests." This doctrine continued in the papal church till 1570, when it appears in the writings of a celebrated papal canonist, J. Paul Lancelot. After the Protestant reformation, it was found convenient to ignore this fact so long admitted; and the late English and American Episcopalians have fallen into the same

error.

The fact, however, is certain. The primitive episcopacy, whatever it was, and the primitive presbytership, were the same, being only different names for the same office. The separation of these offices is by the exaltation of one original minister higher than Christ placed him, under the title of bishop; and depressing another lower than Christ placed him, under the title of a presbyter, thus dividing one order of ministers into two. - Gieseler's Ecclesiastical History. Murdock's Mosheim.

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CHAPTER XI.

THE HEAVENLY PRESBYTERS.

THE heavenly presbyters seem to be deserving of notice in this connection.

Rev. 4: 1-4. "After these things I saw, and behold a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was as the voice of a trumpet speaking with me and saying, Come up hither and I will show thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat upon the throne. And he that sat upon it was in appearance like a jasper and sardine-stone, and there was a rainbow about the throne, similar in appearance to an emerald. And around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones sat twenty-four presbyters, clothed in white raiment, and having crowns of gold upon their heads." Verses 10, 11. When the four cherubim give glory to God, "the twenty-four presbyters fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before his throne, saying" (in response to the cherubim), "Worthy art thou, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for thou hast created all things, and for thy will they are and have been created."

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And I

: 5, 6. And one of the presbyters says to me, "Weep not; behold, the lion of the tribe of Judah hath conquered, the root of David hath opened the book and its seven seals. saw in the midst of the throne, and of the four cherubim, and in the midst of the presbyters, a Lamb standing as if it had been slain; having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God, that are sent into all the earth." Verses 8 and 14.-"And when he took the book, the four cherubim and the

twenty-four presbyters fell down before the Lamb, each having harps and golden vials, full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sang a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to receive the book, and to open its seals; because thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made us kings and priests to God, and we shall reign on the earth. And I looked, and heard the voice of many angels about the throne, and about the cherubim, and the presbyters. And the number of them was ten thousands of ten thousands and thousands of thousands, saying, with a loud voice, The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and which is on the sea, all (creation) heard I saying, To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, for ever and ever; and the four cherubim said Amen; and the presbyters fell down and worshipped."

7 : 11—17. — “And the angels stood around the throne, and around the presbyters, and the four cherubim, and fell down before the throne upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen! Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and strength, be to our God for ever and ever. Amen.

"And one of the presbyters spoke to me, saying, These, that are clothed with white robes, who are. they, and whence do they come? And I said to him, My Lord, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they that came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple, and he that sitteth upon the throne, shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more, nor shall the sun fall (oppressively) upon them, nor any (oppressive) heat. But the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their pastor, and shall lead