x. 1; 1 Cor. xiv. 18.

[237:7] "The place which the apostles occupied while they lived is now
filled, not by a living order of ministers, but by their own inspired
writings, which constitute, or ought to constitute, the supreme
authority in the Church of God.... The New Testament Scriptures, as they
are the only real apostolate now in existence, so, are sufficient to
supply to us the place of the inspired Twelve."--_Litton's Church of
Christ_, p. 410.

[237:1] "While it is clearly recorded that the apostles instituted the
orders of presbyters and deacons, it is not so clearly recorded, _indeed
it is not recorded at all_, that they instituted the order of
bishops."--_Litton_, p. 426. Such a testimony from a Fellow of Oxford is
creditable alike to his candour and his intelligence.

[237:2] Acts xv. 6, xvi. 4, xxi. 18, 25.

[237:3] Acts xx. 17, 25.

[237:4] Acts xx. 29-31.

[237:5] Acts vi. 4. "Here," says Mr Litton, "no mention is made of
government or of ordination, as the special prerogative of the apostolic
office; _and if it were not dangerous to lay too much stress upon a
single passage_, it might from this one be plausibly inferred that _the
special function of the apostles, as representatives of the ordinary
Christian ministry, has descended_, not to bishops, but to presbyters,
to whom it specially pertains to give themselves to prayer and the
ministry of the Word."--_Litton's Church of Christ_, p. 407. It is
certainly not dangerous to lay as much stress upon any Scripture as it
will legitimately bear, and the inference hero drawn is in accordance
with the rules of the most exact logic.

[238:1] 1 Cor. i. 17.

[238:2] Eph. iii. 8. In dealing with individuals, the apostles seldom
challenged obedience on the ground of their divine authority. When they
are represented as directing the movements of ministers, the language
generally implies simply that the parties in question undertook certain
services at their instigation or request, or by their advice. Thus, Paul
says that he _besought_ Timothy to abide in Ephesus, that he _left_
Titus in Crete, and that he _sent_ Epaphroditus to the Philippians (1
Tim. i. 3; Titus i. 5; Philip. ii. 25). But Paul himself is said to have
been _sent forth_ to Tarsus _by the brethren_ (Acts ix. 30). When Mark
refused to accompany Paul and Silas into Asia Minor he did not therefore
forfeit his ecclesiastical status (Acts xiii. 13, xv. 37-39). Apart from
their special commission,