quently, in the pervading influence of Christianity is all our hope. Let this prevail, and we shall prevail; let this spread and triumph, and the future triumph of our nation is sure. By this alone can we realize the visions of future good, which have sprung up before us in such rich and glorious prospect. We have now come to a crisis of the nations. The harvest of the world is ripe, and bending to our arms. And yet it is possible, that this harvest season should pass by, this summer end, and our nation be lost. The contingencies, on which the grand result depends, are momentous-are awful. They are numerous, too, in their ramifications, although they emanate from one stock, the pravity of our common nature. What has warranted us to indulge the expectation that the cheering visions, built upon a half century's history and experiment, will ever be realized? Nothing, surely, that can be collected from the history of the world, aside from the revelations and faith of divine prophecy. All that is written there, only makes good the definition, given by one of high respect, of the succession of this world's generations; "a history of crime and calamity." What! we produce a world, in two hundred years, as big as the present world, which dates six thousand years! And this world of our creation to be exempt in its growth and in its maturity from those painful incidents and calamitous vicissitudes, which have hitherto kept all other generations and all other nations in continuous check! The bow of promise, beaming from the stormy cloud, as it passes away in the east, while the sun is declining to the west, teaches us infallibly that the world henceforth is never to be destroyed by a universal deluge. The mouth of the same Being has also declared that "nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and that earthquakes shall be in diverse places;"" there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity-the sea and the waves roaring, and men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth". "until the Son of man be come."

Is the Son of man about to come? Can we reasonably be assured, that our hands are collecting, fashioning, and adjusting the materials of the tabernacle of God, that he may descend and dwell in the midst of us? He that can bring this proof, may next assure us, that we are the favored people of the Lord.

The seeds of civil discord are indeed in the midst of us. They are sown and have taken deep root in our heart. They have already infected and agitated our whole political body. And who can tell which subsequent agitation shall heave the foundation of our giddy fabric, till it shall totter and dissolve? These fearful ingredients can be allayed, reduced, and purified, only by the influence of true religion. And he only who advocates and pro

motes religion, advocates successfully the stability and permanency of the institutions of his country.

Passing by the numerous contingencies on which depend our uninterrupted prosperity and ultimate triumph-contingencies which cluster at every step of our progress, and hang out their admonitory tokens from every page of our history, I shall notice two evils of extreme delicacy, which at this moment demand of us a treatment, executed throughout in the fear of God and of the reprobation of the world;-I refer to the present condition and prospects of the African race, and of the aboriginal inhabitants, who are now lying upon us, dependant, helpless, injured. The former of these evils is a gangrene of monstrous growth, entering into the muscle, bone, and very marrow of our Republic. The latter is fast becoming so-though not with the same chance of dangerous increase. If we attempt violently to remove it, as we seem likely to do, is there no danger that we destroy ourselves? To proceed in this murderous work, oh, that I could say we dare not. For this would be partial proof of a remaining virtue, adequate to the safe removal of existing deformities, or the reduction of them to comely and beauteous forms.

That we are responsible to the world and to God for a kind and tender treatment of these unfortunate portions of our race to whom I have referred-the one entailed upon us, and the other, first supplanted as our masters, and then adopted as our children, under the promise of protection and careful nurture; and responsible, too, for the institution and support of such a system of measures, in relation to them, as shall gradually and ultimately redeem them. from their present disabilities; he who doubts, is not to be reasoned with, either as being himself an accountable being in his own individual capacity, or as a member of an earthly community which God will judge and visit for all their public acts and measures-especially for their treatment of the oppressed and helpless. There is to us no getting away from this responsibility. It is identified with our existence, and ordained the condition of our prosperity.

As the crisis of our treatment and final disposal of the African race, who dwell in the midst of us, has not yet arrived, unless indeed it has passed and gone forever-which I pray God may not be the case,we are demanded more especially, at the present moment, to give our attention, and to summon up the virtue of this nation, to watch and control with fearfulness that crisis of Indian destiny, which doubtless has come, and is now passing over our heads, and setting its seal upon the conscience, and character, and prospects of the people of this land.

ANTIPAS.

CHURCH OFFICERS.

In defining and instituting local churches, do the Scriptures recognize and appoint a third officer in distinction from pastor and deacon?

An answer to this question, that shall leave no room for difference of opinion, is hardly to be expected. The language of the Bible respecting it is indeed far from being unintelligible; yet it is not direct and explicit. Hence to some, the subject seems to involve only probabilities; and it is thought that an inquiry after the truth can amount to little more than an arranging of these probabilities, and balancing between them. Still it may be hoped that some good degree of satisfaction is attainable.

The following topics will be found to bear on the general question proposed :

I. The meaning of the several names, by which the officers of the church are designated.

II. The import of the passages in which these names occur. III. The qualifications and duties of officers.

IV. The nature and wants of a church.

V. Ancient, and, if possible, Apostolic usage.

VI. Authorities, or the opinions of learned men and critics on the subject.

For the sake of brevity, the two last topics will be omitted, and the reader referred to a series of articles on "Lay Presbyters," by J. P. W., in the Christian Spectator, vols. V-X.

I. The first inquiry relates to the meaning of names. Are there as many officers as names; or are several of the names synonymous, and applied to the same officer?

There are in the New Testament two instances of formal enumeration, which have been supposed to contain all the officers that Christ in person instituted. One of these is found in 1st Cor. xii: 28. "God hath set some in the church; first, apostles; secondarily, prophets; thirdly, teachers; after that, miracles; then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues." The other is in Eph. iv. 8 and 11.-"Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.”

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Many of these officers, as all agree, were temporary, being designed to meet the necessities of the times when they were appointed. Of this description were, " apostles," "prophets, acles," "gifts of healings," "diversities of tongues." To these the office of evangelists may be added, as requiring in the present case no discussion; because, if all are not agreed that this office was

temporary, they are agreed that it does not belong essentially to the structure of a local church.

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There remain, therefore, for examination, the names, "pastors," "teachers," "helps," governments;" and such others as were added by the apostles. These are "bishops," "elders," and "deacons." The terms, "ambassador," "minister," &c. are supposed to be of so general application as not to require particular notice. The question now is, what are the meanings of these seven names? Does each designate a separate office, or do several of them apply variously to the same office?

The primary meaning of Existros (Bishop) is very accessible. It has its derivation from a compound word answering to the verb, supervise, which is synonymous with overlook, oversee. From these verbs are derived compound nouns, such as supervisor, inspector, overseer. These, it is believed, express the meaning of ETISTS (Bishop) with an accuracy not often attainable, without circumlocution. The oversight, it will be observed, is altogether general. Whether it is the oversight of things secular or things religious, he who is appointed to it is designated by the same word. Indeed, Schleusner seems to hit it exactly, when he says of this word, "est nomen generale omnium eorum, qui curam alicujus rei sustinent." Philologists show that those were called Eris who were appointed beadles, or masters of the Grecian games; and whose business it was to see that every thing was done "recte et ordine." Demosthenes calls Minerva EisHOTOS because she was regarded as a sort of presiding genius over her city. Suidas mentions that the Athenians called those ErincπOI, who were sent annually to the cities which they held as provinces, to see what, and how, things were done.

From this it might be inferred, pretty confidently, that Erisco, when used in the New Testament, would denote those who have, in some sense, an official oversight of men and things in matters of religion. More than this, is not from the meaning of the word itself, ascertainable.

But this does not decide whether priestly or only secular overight is intended. Much less does it point out a high department of priestly office, in which an individual is to preside over the church and its ministers.

Пges Puregos is an adjective in the comparative degree, from Пps/Bus old. The meaning of the word is simply elder. In this, its primary and common meaning, it is used abundantly by writers sacred and profane. It is so used in the New Testament: "Now his elder son was in the field," &c. "Your old men shall dream dreams." It is plain, therefore, that this word, in its primary and literal signification, so far from designating any particular ecclesiastical office, does not relate to the subject at all. Nor can I find that any trope has passed upon the word in the usage of Greek writers, or that

it has come to have any secondary meaning, sufficient to show what technical use might be expected to be made of it in the New Testament. This can be ascertained, therefore, only by an examination of those passages in which it occurs.

The original meaning of Пv (pastor) is simply shepherd. The word is used in this primary sense, by the best Greek writers; and also repeatedly by the writers of the New Testament.

In classical Greek, there is a tropical use of this word, by which it comes to be applied to kings, subordinate officers, military leaders, and commanders. In the words of a critic, it is "omnis, qui præest, regit, et imperium habit." Office of some kind, therefore, it might be expected to denote; but, as in the case of ETSHOTOS, what office, whether a spiritual office to be held only by a minister of Christ, or a secular office that might be held by a layman, does not appear; though from the duty of the shepherd to feed his flock, the former might seem the more probable.

The primary meaning of Adasanos is teacher. Good usage employs it for a teacher, master, preceptor, of any kind. There is good reason, therefore, to believe, from the meaning of the word itself, that the apostles, in employing it as the name of a particular officer in the Christian church, would intend by it one invested with the ministry;-one whose business it was to "preach the word.”

Aavos (deacon) is from a verb which signifies to labor in the capacity of a servant. The word, therefore, means originally a servant; perhaps a permanent servant. And as there is no limitation as to place or kind of service, it may mean a servant, aut republicæ, aut patricii, aut familiæ, aut (hodie) ecclesiæ.

The two remaining terms are Arnas, (helps) and Kußegynsels (governments.) Of these, nothing can be said to any purpose in this place, because, neither in their primary, nor in any secondary meaning of theirs, do they seem to have any relation to the subject.

All that has been said, therefore, as to the meaning of names, comes to this singularly indefinite result ;-dasaλos pretty evidently implies one invested with the ministry;—and μm is probably to be classed with it. All the rest are of doubtful import, even as to implying spiritual or only secular office. Should any be led hereby to guard against the danger of being imposed upon by names, one object of the writer will be answered.

II. I come now to the second topic, viz: an examination of the passages in which these names occur. This will bring out their meanings more definitely.

Επισκοπος occurs in the New Testament five times. Once in 1st. Peter, ii: 25. "For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the shepherd and Bishop (ETISKOTOS) of your souls." Here the term is evidently applied to Christ; and the passage contains nothing explicit on the point at issue.