The Church

and loved, and all his sermons were received; but my small success and methodical, logical, and true- the opposition of a few shallow indeed, as to that, they would people, who almost smothered me stand the severest tests; but he when I first came, led me to resign." had scarcely a particle of imagin- "How did the character of the ation-poetry was with him non- Church stand, Sam, in the town, sense, and sentiment dangerous. when you left?" He forgot that feathered arrows Higher in every way than when strike their mark as well as bald I settled there-a number Minie balls; hence his hearer was abuses had ceased." seldom relieved by kindling illustration or anecdote, and so he generally shot over even the hard heads of those who cried, "Sound will soon be a large town-you doctrine that-capital, capital!" "Well, Sam," said Andy, toying with the letters, "I always liked you, and I am glad to see you. What are you doing?'

Candidating, Andy." Candidating, Sam? why should a man of your ability be candidating ?"

The usual cloud gloomed Berkley's face, and he replied as one who had been wronged and humiliated before men; "I do not know why, Andy."

Macdonald counted his letters over and over, hardly knowing what to say, fearing to give offence; but suspecting Berkley desired his help in some way, concluded to find out his circumstances, that he might have a ground of action.

"Let me see," said Andy, kindly; "you first settled as pastor over the church at 6 Liberty Corners,' did you not?" "I did," replied Berkley. Beg your pardon, Sam-did you fail there?"

"Neither in preaching the doctrines, nor building up some of my hearers in the faith. Squire Hewson said he was greatly edified by the strong meat,' but I confess that the congregation was rather

diminished."

"Did they ask you to leave?—— a plain question, Sam."

"No, neither by resolution, nor coldness on the part of the majority, and my resignation was sorrowfully

"You have made a sad mistake, Sam, depend upon it-an unfortunate surrender. Liberty Corners

should have held on tenaciously, and changed your method of work a little. As to the shallow people, you should have considered them as a means of grace, and gone on without them."

"Do you think so?" said Berkley. "I have hungered for my old people and pulpit, but I cannot go back. What shall I do?"

"Have you been to Cloverville?" "Yes, but found no clover. The Church is poor, meeting-house heavily mortgaged, said they must have a man to lift the debt, and didn't think I was the man. Guess they're right, Andy.”

"Where else have you been, Sam?"

"I spent a Sunday in Windsor -a smart town!"

on.

"Well?" said Andy, leading him

"Five of the leading men gåve me a warm reception, said a letter from Liberty Corners spoke of me as an able doctrinal preacher.'" "Is that all?"

"No! they gave me a particularly icy good-bye.' "Why?

'They said my doctrine wouldn't suit-that Squire Bottlesoma objected to my views on total depravity."

Indeed! what does the Squire do for a living?"

"Runs a distillery-two of his sons are already nearly ruined."

"The Lord was kind to you that

time, Sam. Where else have you seriously for awhile, and poor

been?"

"A doubt! About what?"

"Whether I could entertain and hold the young people. Rev. Mr. Soarwing, in the other Church, was drawing all the young folks, and they wanted to put a stop to it the quartette didn't do it."

"My dear fellow, what did you do then?

Went to Ivanhoe, and spent two Sundays there."

"Ivanhoe? Delightful place," said Andy-"Wish you could go there; a very fine field. What was in your way at Ivanhoe?"

"What was in the way? Enough, Andy-fourteen good ministers had been heard; seven more of the best to be heard. I was fifteenth. When the seven had been heard, the Church would take an informal vote. One man said that my prospects were fair."

"Indeed!" said Andy, sarcasti cally. "Scandalous! a wrong to twenty-two men, a grief to the Spirit, and a great injury to the cause. Shame! shame! that God's Church should resolve itself into a poor critical society."

Berkley was the picture of despair. Brightening up at length he said, "Sam! I have it now-one of these letters is from the Church at Burning Bush. They ask me to name a pastor for them. The Church is poor, but united and progressive, and commands a large field. I will send you there on one condition."

"Name it. I'll follow it to death!" and Berkley's deep eyes flashed.

"That fire is grand, Sam,” said Andy; "let it blaze; let yourself out, unbuckle the band and give yourself room. You have digested your self almost to death, Sam. Don't be bound by the everlasting proprie ties of other people, but be in a good sense all things to all men.' You have come to me, feeling that you are a failure. Your face, manner, and voice say so; and as you have put yourself into my hands for an experiment, I must preach a little to you. As a rule those Churches you mentioned were not to blame. It has been well said, 'You conquer your hearers, or your hearers conquer you:' you allowed them to conquer you easily. You should have felt, They shall not. Then would you have conquered, and they would have forgotten the reasons given for not calling you. It may hard, but it is true, the Church that must carry the pulpit will grow weaker and weaker. Now, my dear fellow, lay aside your learned and elaborate treatises on accepted or disputed points (read them to the ministers). Stop defending what is rarely assaulted, and go heart foremost, and talk simply, and joyfully, as to needy and tried and breaking hearts; take some text that has been like a dripping "I came here," said Berkley, honeycomb to you in trial. Visit "to unload my burdened heart. the wretchedest man you can find I love preaching, but I cannot in the town; pray and talk cheerstand this humiliation unto degra- fully with him; and then think the dation. Give me your advice." sermon through, with or wi hout Macdonald sat still, thinking the pen in your hand, and gather

"You pity me, I see," said Berkley. "I think I'll go into the inurance business. Income doubled and a gold watch in the bargain& can offer."

"Then I should pity you if I did not despise now I don't. It's all right, Sam-you are among the clouds, and so is God's sunshine. You are having an experience you do not deserve."

illustrations as Jesus did from nature, and everyday life. Having done this or something like itnever forgetting your source of power, God-go to Burning Bush,' not caring a fig whether you stay or not; but determined to do one grand day's work in loyalty to Jesus and souls. One word more Sam, if you will allow me."

"Allow you?" said Berkley; go on, Andy. I see my mistake. I was never so moved. I long for the conflict."

Andy saw with satisfaction the kindled eye, the crimson glow on the pale face, the firm lip, and added: "On Saturday night commit all to God, go to bed and to sleep. In the morning read a joyful Psalm or Cristly benediction, walk alone to the meeting-house, thinking over the strong points of the sermon and the sore need crying out to you from every heart. Then preach thoughtless of Sam Berkley, but as in the presence of a great cloud of witnesses (all on your side) and as to a little child."

"So help me God, I'll do it!"

said Berkley, and he unconsciously brought a heavy hand down on the table. Dull, dry, honest, methodical Sam Berkley was all on fire; his powerful frame shook with a deep inspiration-he stood there a mighty man of a mighty God, inpatient for the struggle, with his hand on victory.

Sam Berkley preached the next Sunday at " Burning Bush on the "Burning Bush," and at the second service many people turned aside to see why the bush was not burned."

The hearts and wills of the people were stormed, and taken for God. The only question asked was, Can we get him? He was asked, "Mr. Berkley, wlli you be our minister?"

"I will," said the glad man; "I have come to stay."

Several years have passed away since then, but Sam Berkley preaches grandly at Burning Bush; and often, when he thinks the whole matter over, he bows his head and says, Oh, Father, bless Andy Macdonald!"

FAITHFUL SAYINGS.

NOTES ON THE DECLARATIONS SO TERMED IN THE PASTORAL

EPISTLES.

BY THE REV. H. C. LEONARD, M.A.

THE important utterances to which the name of "faithful sayings" is given in the later Epistles of St. Paul are evidently quotations, but whence are they quoted? In the writings of this Apostle we have many passages cited from the Old Testament Scriptures, several from the Apocrypha and other ancient Jewish writings, and a few from the Greek tragic poets, but it is evident that the quotations before us are from quite a different source.

In all probability they are to be regarded as inspired utterances made by those possessing the gift of prophecy in the primitive Christian assemblies. The object of this gift was declared to be threefold, viz., the "edification," " exhortation," and "comfort" of the Church (1 Cor. xiv. 3). Sometimes the prophetic gift took the form of singing, and sometimes that of prayer and praise (1 Cor. xiv, 15, 16), but

more usually these extempore inspirations were teaching utterances. Such "sayings," in the almost total absence of books, would be naturally treasured up and remembered, and the few that have been handed down to us possess a peculiar interest and importance.

It is not without surprise that we find amongst them the one now before us:

II. "FAITHFUL IS THE SAYING, IF ANY MAN SEEKETH THE OFFICE OF A BISHOP HE DESIRETH A GOOD WORK" (1 Tim. iii. 1).

Probably it was a feeling of this kind which led the translators to substitute the word "true for "faithful" in this passage (and in this only) of the series. The adjective, however, is the same in them all. This doubly inspired text is therefore worthy of attentive consideration, and though anything like an exhaustive discussion of it would not be suitable to the present purpose we must not omit a passage so emphatically commended to our thoughts. This "faithful saying" relates to the ministry of the Church. It rebukes on the one hand those who overvalue the office and undervalue the workseeking office for its own sake rather than for the work's sake-and, on the other, those who, in their respect for the work, undervalue the office, and set aside the divinely ordered ministry which God has given for the "edifying," "unity," and "knowledge" of the body of Christ (Ephes. iv. 12, 13). It has a useful lesson, therefore, both for those who cling to the hierarchical and priestly form of Christianity, and for sects like the Plymouth Brethren, in which the "good" of the ministerial office is depreciated.

In the New Testament a divinely revealed Church order is sufficiently apparent. A Divine polity does not, of course, exclude human elements. When it is affirmed that the apostolic Church order was divinely revealed, it is not meant that the idea of the Church was made known in ecstasy or vision which carried its founders out of the sphere of human political thought: rather that they were divinely led to adopt and adapt whatever was suitable in the institutions around them. Similarly, in the question of inspiration, we can only rightly understand the divinity of the Bible when we fully and frankly recognise the humanity of the Bible. Similarly, too, we can only apprehend the Divine nature of our Lord when we fully recognise His true human nature. Even so we recognise the human origin of the elements of the Church polity of the New Testament in order intelligently to receive its Divine authority. Those elements were the different constitutions of the Hebrew synagogue and of the Greek city-states-the former aristocratic, the latter democratic. The Latin, or monarchical element intruded in a later age, when Christianity extended itself in the west, and, adopting Roman ideas of government, introduced Episcopacy and State-Churchism. The third political form may be very well in the world, but in the Church it is treason against Christ, interfering alike with the covenant-rights of the people and with the crown-rights of the Redeemer; and against it our Lord cautioned His

disciples: "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them: so shall it not be among you."

In a word, then, the Church, with its offices, was in form the synagogue of the Jews combined with the ecclesia of the Greeks. In the time of Christ the simpler and more spiritual worship of the synagogue had largely superseded the ritual worship of the temple. There were then many hundreds of synagogues in Palestine and one or more in every Greek city whither the Jews had emigrated. These synagogues were at first the places used for the preaching of the Gospel, but when the Jews opposed themselves and blasphemed, schoolrooms or large attics were taken (Acts xix. 9; xx. 8). It was natural that the polity of the new schoolroom society should resemble that of the synagogue. What, then, was the polity of the synagogue? It was governed by a council of officers called "elders" or "rulers," who ordered the worship and teaching, and administered discipline (Mark v. 22; Acts xiii. 15; John ix. 22). It is important to notice in passing that in the passages in the Acts where Crispus, and also Sosthenes, are described as "chief ruler" of a synagogue at Corinth, the word “ chief" is not in the original, but the same word is used which occurs in the plural in the Gospels; and that Jairus, called by St. Luke (viii. 49) "the ruler of the synagogue," is, by the same evangelist, described as "a ruler" (viii. 41), and by St. Mark as "one of the rulers" (Mark v. 22). The officer of the synagogue called "legate" or angel was a secretary and reader, but had no authority over the elders. Then there was another set of officers, three in number, called by a name equivalent to deacons, whose duty it was to collect and distribute the alms given in the synagogues, at the doors of which two boxes were placed, one for the poor at Jerusalem, the other for local charities. (The "minister," or rather servant, who received the roll of Isaiah from Christ's hands in the synagogue at Nazareth was simply a servant or beadle, not a congregational officer.) We find some trace of the "angel" in 2 Cor. viii. 23, where the delegates chosen by the Churches of Macedonia are so termed, and also in Rev. ii., where the name is given to those who were the mediums of communication between St. John and the Churches of Asia Minor.

It will thus be seen that a band of elders and a band of deacons were to be found alike in synagogue and church.

But the spirit as well as the name of the Greek "ecclesia' also entered into the composition of the apostolic Churches. The "ecclesia was the assembly of Greek citizens who managed their own affairs and elected their own officers. Amongst the Christians in the Greek cities the term " bishop (episcopos) was used as identical with "elder." To this term, the word used in the text before us, they had been accustomed as the title of their own civic magistrates, just as the Jews had to that of "elder."

Thus we see that the inspired wisdom of the apostles led them to adopt the best parts of Jewish and of Greek organisation into the

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