With respect to the cases brought forward, it requires nothing more than a little attention to the history of Paul and Barnabas in the Acts of the Apostles, to discover that the ceremony related above was not an ordination to the ministry. Paul was converted at or near Damascus, and gives the following account of his conversion and call to the ministry, in his speech before King Agrippa. "Whereupon as I went to Damascus, with authority and commission, from the chief priests, at mid-day, O King, I saw in the way a light from Heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were al fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecuteth thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.— But rise and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a MINISTER AND A WITNESS both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom Now I send thee; to open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified, by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the Heavenly vision: but showed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." [Acts xxvi, 12—20.]

Luke speaking of Paul's conversion, uses language to the same amount with the latter part of this quotation. He says of Paul, "And straightway (that is, immediately after his conversion) he preached Christ in the Synagogues, that he is the Son of God."— [Acts ix, 20.]

me,

Paul, in his epistle to the Galatians, speaking of this same important transaction, says, when it pleased God "to reveal his Son in that I might PREACH HIM AMONG THE HEATHEN; IMMEDIATE LY I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusa lem to them WHICH WERE APOSTLES BEFORE ME; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after THREE YEARS, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. But other of the Apostles saw I none, savo James the

Lord's brother. Now, the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not. Afterwards I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia; and was unknown by face unto the Churches of Judea which were in Christ: but they had heard only, that he which persecuted us in times past, now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. And they glorified God in me. Then FOURTEEN YEARS AFTER, I went up AGAIN to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also." [Gal. i, 15—24, ii, 1.]

Here we find Paul, while journeying to Damascus to destroy the disciples, suddenly arrested, convinced of his error, converted to God, sent immediately to the Gentiles, to open their eyes and to turn them from the power of Satan to God, straightway preaching to them that Christ was the Son of God, first in Damascus, and afterwards in Arabia, the regions of Syria and Cilicia, and finally going to Jerusalem, fourteen years after his first visit to that city to see Peter, and seventeen years after his conversion, in company with Barnabas.

Let us now see where he met with Barnabas, and what the employment of the latter had been.

Barnabas is first mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles in the following manner: "Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the Apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the Apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The Son of Consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet." [Acts iv, 34 37.) When some years afterwards, Paul first went to Jerusalem after his conversion, "he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But BARNABAS took him, and brought him to the Apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord" &c. [Acts ix, 26,27.] and they then received Paul. Some time after that, the Church at Jerusalem having heard that of the Gentiles at Antioch, "a great number believed and turned to the Lord," "sent forth BARNABAS that he should go as far as Antioch. Who when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. and much people was added unto

the Lord. Barnabas finding the prospects so favourable in Antioch, went to Tarsus, to seek Saul: and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year THEY assembled themselves with the Church, and TAUGHT much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. And in those days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit, that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea: which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul." [Acts xi, 21—30.] And then it was that Saul or Paul, as he states in his epistle to the Galatians, went again to Jerusalem with Barnabas. [Gal. ii, 1.] While Paul and Barnabas were in Jerusalem, they had a conference with the Apostles James, Peter and John-and Paul tells us, in his epistle to the Galatians, that "When James, Cephas (or Peter) and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and BARNABAS the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen and they unto the Circumcision." "And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark." [Gal. ii, 9.—Acts xii, 25.]

After their return to Antioch, it is not said how long, at least seventeen years after Paul had been preaching the gospel, occurred the transaction related in the beginning of the 13th chapter of the Acts, which Dr. Miller calls the ordination of Paul and Barnabas: Now there were in the Church that was at Antioch, certain prophets and teachers, as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

The language of the Holy Spirit here is, separate me Barnabas and Saul FOR THE WORK WHEREUNTO I HAVE CALLED THEM.. Certainly not for the work of the ministry. The Lord Jesus Christ had called Paul to that work at least seventeen years before, (see pages 10, 11); and Barnabas had been occupied in the same way for several years, the latter part of the time in connexion with Paul;

and when they were in Jerusalem together, the Apostles James, Peter and John, had agreed with Paul and Barnabas, that the former should go to the Jews, the latter to the Gentiles, (see page 12.) It is only necessary to read the 13th and 14th chapters of the Acts with attention, in order to ascertain what work it was they were then called to do. They immediately went on a tour through several countries of Asia and Islands of the Mediterranean sea, and after having traversed them, preaching the Gospel for a considerable time, they returned "to Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work wHICH THEY FULFILLED." [Acts xiv, 26.]

There are two remarks to be made on this passage:

1. The ceremony performed at Antioch, before their departure, is here called a recommendation to the grace of God: Now, if this be an ordination, then was Paul again ordained some short time afterwards, on setting out on a similar tour through the country to visit the Churches: "And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren to the grace of God. And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the Churches." [Acts xv, 40, 41.]

2. It is said in the passage above quoted, that they had fulfilled the work for which they had been recommended to the grace of God. This work was, therefore, certainly not that of the ministry: that they had not fulfilled: they continued long afterwards in it, and Paul died a martyr to the cause.

Stress has likewise been laid on the laying on of hands on this occasion. That ceremony was performed on many other occasions besides ordination. Paul laid his hands on twelve disciples whom he found at Ephesus, immediately after baptizing them, and they received the Holy Ghost. [Acts xix, 6.] Peter and John laid their hands on the new disciples in Samaria, and they received the Holy Ghost; and some of these were women. [Acts viii, 12 and 14 to 17 compared.] And long before this, Ananias, by the express command of God, laid his hands on Saul or Paul, while sitting blind in Damascus, and he received the Holy Ghost. [Acts ix, 17.] These several considerations render it not an ordination. But even if it could be shown to be so, it would remain to be proved that the persons ordaining were presbyters, before Dr. Miller could derive any benefit from the case. not be done. There were five persons concerned, including Paul

manifest that this was

This can

and Barnabas. They are called prophets and teachers. These words are not used in scripture as names of office. They are so general in their nature as to embrace all the orders. Private Christians were sometimes thus employed; [Acts xix, 6. xx,9.] Our Saviour was a prophet and teacher; [John iii, 2.] Of the persons named in the transaction in question, one (Paul) was sent to the Gentiles, to open their eyes and turn them from the power of Satan to God, seventeen years before that time; another (Barnabas) had been for some time engaged with Paul in the same work: they had both, before that time, in a conference with the Apostles James, Peter and John, at Jerusalem, agreed with them to divide, as it were, mankind among them; the Apostles James, Peter and John going to the Jews, and the Apostles Barnabas and Paul going to the Gentiles. Here then two of these five prophets and teachers, were Apostles-what the other three were we do not know we do know however, that they were not superior to Paul and Barnabas. Another consideration is, that the order of Apostles must commence without laying on of hands by apostolic men. The first must

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:

He tells us

derive their authority from God alone. Paul did so. expressly, that he was AN APOSTLE NOT OF MEN, NOR BY MAN, BUT BY JESUS CHRIST, AND GOD THE FATHER," [Gal. i, 1,]——and that the Apostles, while he was in Jerusalem "IN CONFERENCE, ADDED NOTHING TO HIM." [Gal. ii,

6

6.]

"The second instance of an ordination performed by Presbyters, (says Dr. Miller,) is that of Timothy, which is spoken of by the Apostle Paul, in the following terms: Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery.' [1. Timothy iv, 14.] All agree, (he says) that the Apostle is here speaking of Timothy's ordination; and this ordination is expressly said to have been performed with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery- that is, of the Eldership, or a council of Presbyters." [Miller's Letters, p. 53.]

It is obvious indeed in the passage quoted, that the gift is said to have been given by phrophecy and with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. By prophecy of whom? In the second epistle to Tim. i, 6, it is said that the gift was in Timothy by putting on of the hands of Paul. PAUL therefore BY prophecy and By laying on his hands ordained Timothy, as he had before done in many instances [Acts xiv, 23.] in company with Barnabas, without mention of the laying on of the hands of presbyters,