purchased with His own blood" (Acts xx. 28). It is the way of man to merge the individual into the official character, and to demand a respect for the office apart from the personal qualifications of its holder. But this is not the way of Christ. There the sense of individual responsibility to the Lord, the exercise of conscience towards God and man, the tasting and valuing personally the doctrine taught to others (see 1 Tim. iv. 16), is the very soul and power of ability to help those who have believed through grace. “Take heed to yourselves." It is by personal exercise of soul before God, that one is made useful in counselling or comforting others in their soul-trials. It is this feature which distinguishes gift in the Church from office in the world. We are bound to acknowledge "the powers that be," irrespective of their moral qualifications; but it is disobedience to Christ to recognize anything like office in the Church in the absence of the qualifications which are plainly laid down by the apostle. (1 Tim. iii.) The assumption of office in the Church has generally led to usurpation over the conscience of others, whilst the gift of the ascended Jesus ever brings with it a sense of direct responsibility to the Lord the giver. "We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake."

It is to all the flock that the apostle directs the attention of the bishops whom he addresses. He knew how rapidly the entrance of an evil, trivial in itself, would spread; and therefore every individual believer ought to be regarded as a member of the one body of which Christ is the Head. Again, the exercise of their episcopacy was to be in the recognition that it

was the Holy Ghost who had qualified them, and set them in so responsible a position,—such a consideration would tend alike to quicken diligence and hinder usurpation. They were also to feed, that is, tend the Church of God; vigilant oversight was to be tempered with shepherdly tenderness. There are cases in which sharp rebuke is needed; but for the most part reproof, rebuke, and exhortation, should be "with all longsuffering." But, above all, the value to God Himself of that which was the object of their attention and oversight must never be lost sight of. "It is the Church of God which He hath purchased with His own blood." If this thought were kept before the soul, it would tend to make the bishop attach a far higher value to that which he tended, than to himself or to his service.

The same outline is given also by the apostle Peter in addressing elders in his Epistle. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight, [that is, exercising episcopacy,] not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthly lucre, but of a ready mind: neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. v. 1—4).

Here, first we notice, that the care and oversight of the flock of God is so honourable a work as to be desirable for its now sake, and by no means to be regarded as a burdensome duty. The yoke of Jesus

is easy, and His burden light. It should therefore be undertaken, "not by constraint, but willingly." The apostle then warns against two dangers, and in this case, as well as others, the warning itself has been prophetic of the corruption which would ensue. Greediness of gain, and lordship over the conscience—yea, even the bodies of men have been the prominent features of the false episcopate of the corrupt Church. The Chief Shepherd went before the flock to point out the way, and give them an example; and, with their eye on Him, the under shepherds should be patterns to the flock, waiting the time when care for Christ's sheep should be made manifest as the most honourable of employments. The gain and lordly honour of the false episcopate pass away, but the crown of glory that fadeth not away is given by the Chief Shepherd Himself to those who have fed His flock, and not themselves.

If by the repudiation of prelacy as anti-christian in its principle, we have underrated the value and blessing of a scriptural episcopacy,- there is also a hindrance to our recognition of this blessing arising from an opposite quarter. The same apostle Peter who describes so beautifully the true episcopacy, warns not only against avaricious prelatical lordship, but against another kind of false episcopacy. "Let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters" (1 Pet. iv. 15). This is but one compound word in the Greek αλλοτρίοεπίσκοπος -"allotrioepiscopos"-one who takes to himself the oversight of other men's matters, to the neglect of judging himself. The lordly domination of prelacy

may be honestly repudiated by those who nevertheless. assume to themselves the exercise of an equally false episcopacy. It is no legitimate part of true scriptural episcopacy to canvass the character of Christians, or to intrude into their domestic concerns. To do so is really to lord it over God's heritage. It is a sad degradation of the episcopacy, if it be supposed to consist in meddlesome interference with the private affairs of Christians. Yet this is not unfrequently to be found even among real Christians, and has helped, among other things, to obscure the blessing of a truly scriptural episcopacy. God owns the place of the head of a family, as much as He owns the civil governor, and there are corresponding responsibilities on the part of the civil governor and of the head of the family, whether they acknowledge them or not. The general rule will here apply, "Them that honour Me, I will honour; those that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." This general rule is not confined to the household of faith. It requires, therefore, spiritual intelligence to know the proper limits of a scriptural episcopal superintendence; and not to cloke, under the good work of the episcopacy, the "busy-body in other men's matters."

Whether the gift of oversight be rare, or whether it be lightly esteemed, both which should lead us to humiliation on account of the general sin of insult offered to the Spirit of grace, one thing still remains to us, "self-episcopacy," as the apostle teaches us. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many

be defiled" (Heb. xii. 14, 15). The word here rendered looking diligently, is the same as that which is rendered (1 Pet. v. 2) "taking the oversight." And well would it be for Christians if they practically owned such an episcopacy— the root of bitterness" and profaneness would be less common among us. Diligent

self-inspection would, at the same time, preserve us from the tendency to be busy-bodies in other men's matters, give healthful tone to scriptural episcopacy where it exists, and make its value to be truly appreciated. He who is the most honest bishop over his own soul, will regard and value any whom the Holy Ghost has really made bishops, as gracious helps to Him personally; and, above all, will ever turn to Jesus, the Shepherd and Bishop of his soul, humbly yet confidently saying, "Thine eye seeth me."

REMARKS ON 1 COR. IV.

THE apostle in the previous chapters having laid low all human pretension and headship in the Church, and claimed for God His proper and sovereign place, claims here for himself and his co-workers in the gospel their place also. We are ever prone either to set God aside for the creature, or to refuse the vessel that place which God has assigned him.

"Man in extremes how wide!"

It would be an interesting subject to trace this in Scripture. I only suggest the idea. Let the servant of God have his proper place, and let God have His also. That lawless spirit that would set up or put down man is to be guarded against. To say, "I am of