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The Humble Equality of the Apostolic Ministry.

Jesus set the standard of humble equality. "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.” Matt. 23:8. "Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." Matt. 23: 10-12. "And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest. And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth." Luke 22: 24-27.

Oh, what humbleness is here taught! "Ye are brethren." No one among you is higher than another or can possibly have from me any

jurisdiction over the rest. Ye are, in this respect, perfectly equal. He showed them how the Gentiles exalted some above others, but said, "It shall not be so among you."

I will here insert a few extracts from history. "The church was in the beginning a community of brethren. All its members were

taught of God, and each possessed the liberty of drawing for himself from the divine fountain of life. The epistles, which then settled the great questions of doctrine, did not bear the pompous title of any single man or ruler. We find from the Holy Scriptures that they began simply with these words: "The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren.' Acts 15:23. Acts 15:23. But the writings of these very apostles forewarn us that from the midst of these brethren, there shall arise a power which shall overthrow this simple and primitive order."-D'Aubigne's History of the Reformation, book I, chap. I.

"The doctrine of 'the church,' and of 'the necessity for its visible unity,' which had gained footing so early as the third century, favored the pretensions of Rome. The great bond which originally bound together the members of the

church was a living faith in the heart, by which all were joined to Christ as their own head. But various causes erelong conspired to originate and develop the idea of the necessity for some exterior fellowship. Men, accustomed to the associations and political forms of an earthly country, carried their views and habits into the spiritual and everlasting kingdom of Jesus Christ. The invisible and spiritual church was identical with the visible and outward community. But soon a great distinction appeared -the form and vital principle parted asunder. The semblance of identical and external organization was gradually substituted in place of the internal and spiritual unity which is the very essence of a religion proceeding from God. Men suffered the precious perfume of faith to escape while they bowed themselves before the empty vase that held it. Faith in the heart no longer knit together in one the members of the church. Then it united by means of bishops, archbishops, popes, miters, ceremonies, and canons. The living church retiring by degrees to the lonely sanctuary of a few solitary soulsan exterior church was substituted in place of it, and installed in all its forms as of divine

institution. . . . In the beginning of the gospel, whosoever had received the Spirit of Jesus Christ was esteemed a member of the church. Now the order was inverted, and no one unless a member of the church was counted to have received the Spirit of Jesus Christ."

"It is a noteworthy fact, when the founder of Christianity left the world, he made no provision for any quarterly, or annual, or periodical assembly of his apostles, his ministers, or his followers; he appointed no time nor place for them to congregate, to report, confer, or legislate; he gave to no one authority to convoke such an assembly; and he gave his disciples no reason to suppose that five thousand Christians assembled had greater authority than two or three who had met in his name, in whose midst he promised to be. And so far from empowering his followers to combine and legislate for themselves or their associates, he expressly defined their duties to be, not the contriving and imposing of new precepts upon the church, but rather the making of disciples among all nations, 'teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.'

"The apostles and early church seemed to

understand their duties, and carefully refrained from meddling with such affairs, or setting up courts or ecclesiastical judicatures, and even when consulted by the Gentile converts who were afflicted by intrusion of proselyting Jews, they only rehearsed a few 'necessary things,' for their observance; things that had been regarded as obligatory from the times of Noah down; and declined to undertake anything analogous to the ecclesiastical legislation of the present day. And so the apostles parted, and went forth, probably never expecting to meet again until 'the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering unto him.' The servants of God were attending to their proper work of preaching the gospel, feeding the flock, and saving men; and it was not until religious apostasy and imperial power and patronage combined to corrupt and impair the integrity of the church, that the work of calling councils and legislating for the church of God commenced."-Who Made the New Testament? pages 3, 4.

In the foregoing we see, according to the testimony of history, the equality of the early ministry and their humbleness. If there was such a thing in the early church as one class of preachers

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