adventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth."

8. Not only are the entire brotherhood of disciples contemplated as "one in Christ Jesus," but it is a oneness of priestly authority. It is of Christians at large that Peter says, "ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." They are all on an equality as priests of God. They are not only a holy priesthood, but a royal priesthood, and that in virtue of the fact that Jesus, the Christ, loved them and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and made for them a kingdom, even priests unto God and his Father. See I. Pet. ii. 9; Rev. i. 6. We have already said that the church knew no order of clergy. It may be of service to remark that so far from any such assumption being encouraged, the elders, or shepherds, or pastors, are forbidden to be lords over God's klērōn, clergy, heritage, but are commanded to be examples to the flock. The flock, then, is God's heritage, the sheep are God's clergy; the elders are simply under-shepherds, to serve them. Indeed, if what we submitted in former essays touching the union with God into which every Christian, as such, comes, it is the height of presumption and the depth of folly to attempt to overshadow such a rank by any official dignity, since all official dignity in the kingdom of God is the dignity of serving the children of God, the brethren of King Jesus. There is no distinction allowed here but the distinction of serviceand that only as it reveals spiritual excellence.

9. It is interesting, in the light of these considerations, to look at some of the striking exhibitions in

which the spiritual influences of the kingdom of Christ triumph over all earthly distinctions.

(1) In reference to riches and poverty. The Jerusalem converts lose this distinction. The rich rejoice in that they are made low; the poor in that they are exalted.

(2) In reference to race. Jew, Samaritan and Gentile make up an equal brotherhood. Look at Paul, the bigoted persecuting Pharisee, becoming the selfsacrificing champion of Gentile equality. Look at Gentiles sending relief to the Jews in distress.

(3) In reference to masters and servants. See Onesimus, the runaway slave, converted to Christ, and sent back to his Christian master, Philemon, to be received "not now as a slave, but above a slave, a brother beloved."

(4) In reference to those clothed with authority and those over whom they rule. Take Paul to Philemon: "Though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, yet for love's sake, I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ." Take also Peter to the elders: "Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves to the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility."

Is there, then, to be no government, no rule in the house of God? Is the church merely an unorganized assembly-an ungoverned democracy? Grave questions, but we must stay our reply for another chapter. Meanwhile, we ask attention to Eph. iv. 11-16. Without entering into a critical examination of words and phrases, the marrow of the text is clearly this: that

special supernatural gifts, such as apostles, prophets, etc., were bestowed for a time, with a view to perfect the saints for whatever ministries might be needed, so that the body, instead of being longer dependent on these special gifts, adapted only to a condition of childhood, might, in full manhood, supply from itself what is necessary for its own edification. Think well of this, and in another number we hope to answer satisfactorily the questions that have been propounded.

MINISTRIES.

Equality, in the Christian Brotherhood, does not forbid the existence of special officers and ministries, any more than political equality in our Republic forbids the idea of magistrates, legislators and judges. Republicanism scouts kings and nobles, and all other priviledged classes whose very existence would war with the principle of political equality; but it favors such official employment of citizens as is necessary for the general good. So spiritual equality in the church denies and repudiates everything that looks towards an ecclesiastical hierarchy, because such hierarchy is, in its very nature, at war with the doctrine of spiritual equality; but this equality is not hostile to such ministries as are shown to be needful for the welfare of the brotherhood. Hence, we find that in the apostolical churches, strongly marked by equality as we have seen them to be, even the supernatural gifts were various, and ministries were various and numerous. See Eph. iv. 8-12; I. Cor. xii.; Rom. xii. 4-8. They were not equal as to supernatural gifts, and we are not equal as to natural gifts. And as there was need for various supernatural gifts, though all bestowed by one and the self-same Spirit upon those who in one Spirit had all been baptized into one body; so is there now need for various natural gifts among the equal members of the one body of Christ. The fact that apostles,

prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, with supernatural endowments, as mentioned in Eph. iv., have ceased to be, does not prove that thenceforth there shall be no officers and no ministries; but, that whatever ministers are needed are to be supplied in another way: no longer by special supernatural endowment, but by spiritual culture. They are to be furnished by "the saints," from "the saints," for "the saints." The church, under the guidance of the Spirit, is to be self-perpetuating; the saints are to be self-edifying; but all this with a due regard to order. There must be a division of labor. "The body" is

not to make increase by a lawless assumption of power on the part of each member, or by each member having the same office; but the members must be "fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth," and "according to the effectual working in the measure of every part" there is to be "increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love."

One great source of misunderstanding has been, and still is, the Babylonish style in which we talk of "the ministry"-meaning thereby the ministry of the word. Hence, when some read of "the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry," they imagine it to be the bounden duty of every saint to preach, and they become blatant in their advocacy of the every-mansystem against the one-man-system. Others, seeing the absurdity of this, yet impressed with the same narrow idea of "the work of the ministry," proceed to build up a system of ministerial government and propagation, which, in the end, however honorable the motives of the originators, must end, as all similar attempts have