with one who could be a meet witness of Jesus’ doctrines, miracles, death, and resurrection.  The one hundred and twenty disciples chose, appointed, or presented to whom they judged proper for that work.  The office being extraordinary, and perhaps the votes equal, the decision which of these two was referred to the divine determination of the lot.  After prayer for a perfect one, it fell upon Matthias, and he was, by suffrages, or votes, added to the number of the apostles.

Had the next election of a church officer entirely excluded the Christian people, one had been tempted to suspect that Matthias’s extraordinary case was never designed for a pattern.  Instead hereof, the choice being of an ordinary officer, is entirely deposited in their hands.  Never were men better qualified for such an election than the inspired, the spirit-discerning apostles; yet when restrained by laborious attendance to their principal work, the ministry of the word and of prayer, from sufficient leisure to distribute their multiplied alms to their now numerous poor, and directed by the Holy Ghost, they ordered the Christian people to look out, choose seven of their number, men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom, who might be ordained to the office of deacons.  Judging of the mentioned qualifications, the Christian multitude, entirely of their own accord, chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas.  These they presented to the apostles, who immediately ordained them by prayer, and imposition of hands, Acts vi. 1-6.  Here, by inspired appointment, the people had the whole power of electing their deacons.  If they have the power of electing one ordinary officer, why not of all?  If in the case of deacons they can judge of the qualifications of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom, what hinders them to judge of these and the like of ministers?  If Jesus and his apostles argued from the less to the greater, Matt. vi. 30,1 Cor. ix. 10, who can forbid us to argue so?  If it be right and equal for the Christian people to choose deacons who take care of their sacred alms, is it not much more right and equal that they have the choice of their pastors, who take the oversight of their souls?

A third instance of the Christian people electing their ecclesiastical officers, relates to the joint travels of Paul and Barnabas at Lystra and places around, Acts xiv. 23.  These two divinely directed messengers of Christ, having ordained (or, as properly translated from the Greek, through suffrages or votes constituted) them elders (presbyters) in every city, and prayed with fasting, commended them to the Lord.  Here it is plainly marked that these elders, presbyters, were chosen by suffrages (votes) in order to ordination.  This the Greek word in our version, by the fraud of the English bishops rendered had ordained, plainly imports.  The root of this word is borrowed from the custom of