Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1855-06-20
o. We take advantage of q few days
absence and give:up our entire space to our
correspondent PREsByTER:" whose article
%ill be found below.
Fo. tho Advertiser.
TO NEOS EPISCOPUS.

DEAR SIR:--Atter the very courteou,
n6snner 10 which you have treated my frs
communication, feel reluctant to disregard
even in appearance, your preferences in re-
lation to the vastly important subject Of the
Apostolic Succession.
/ do no. wish to seem indecorous in OBJ
truding the views Of my own Church Before
unwilling hearers or readers, but as con-
ceive my meaning in forme, communica'
ton to have been Inexperienced by you,
beg you will give the. privilege of an expla.
nation. think your friends are mistaken
in their views of religious discussion. Dis
cussion, conducted as it should be by chris.
tian gentlemen, can never be prejudicial to
the cause of truth ana, godliness. Ifthe law
of charityis observed the weakest christian
need not be offended.
In my former communication committed
myself distinctly to bring yoxr definition of
an Apostle to the test Of the scriptures; by
that comu1ittal shall strictly abide. And
now let US see what process Of t,oisting
have applied to your definition. You asked,
"What-was an Apostes" You answered,
he must have seen Christ, have heard his
voice, and haue been able to cork miracles.
This was your definition. Now, what is a
definition but a description by which per.
son or thing may be distinguished or known
from other persons or rthingss That's, a de.
;dnition contains the dterentia. which mark
the distinction between one individual or class
and others. When, therefore, you gave the
three marks above indicated, in answer to the
question "What is an Apostle 7" why of
course the reader could only understandyou
to mean they were the marks by which an
Apostle was known from other officers or
members of the Church. Therefore replied,
you must surely be misled in supposing these
to be the difereatia Of an apostle, for on
turning to the Bible, find that many other
christians. both men and women, had the
same marks. Hence, said, either the Ell.
.ders and Deacoas and agmansand wnme4@
iteTe al Apostles, and thus there was null
titudinous succession, or else that to haue seen
the Lord, to have heard his voice, and to
have possessed the po,cer o scorking mira.
cles, were never the marks by which to dis
tinguish an Apostle from Deacon, or even
from layman and a CONAN. If given
quality or peculiarity is claimed as an ear
mark, it is sufficient to show that. many or
all other individuals of the same class pos.
.sess the same quality or peculiarly to prove
the one alleged is mo ear mark. This is just
what did in reference to your definition.
proved that the marks alleged by you were
no. the marks of an Apostle, but that they
were distinguished by some other quaIihca'
tians. This does not appear to me to be
erocess of tUisting. You seem now to re-
iinquish that which took to be your defni.
ton of an Apostle. You now write: 90" hat
we said was simply, that to be an Apostle,
one must have these qualifications" You
may as we'll have said that to be an Apostle
one must be a man. Neither would answer
your question, Z" What is an Apostle Z" Now
then, examine the force of your illustrations.
Were to ask you what is q Deacon in a
Baptist church, you surely would not answer
me that he is one ,eho had been Immersed, for
i would at once reply, that does not explain
alsat his office is, for all your members are
immersed. Were to ask you for the de.
finition Of an Episcopal minister, you surely
could not answer, he is one who has been
confirmed, for would remind you that al!
our members are confirmed. Butyoa would
not give me such an answer. You would
say rather, an Episcopal minister is one who
has been ordained by our Bishops, and all
persons so ordained are Episcopal ministers
You. would say Baptist deacon is one
solemnly set apart for certain purposes in 8
Baptist congregation, and all persons SO sci
apart, for these purposes, are Baptist Dea
cons. Now, understood you to say tha
the three qualifications mentioned by yor
defined the Office Of an Apostle, but it seems
you only meant that Apostles must have
those. Then you should have said that al
christians must have those, and if no ont
now living can bave,them, then there can b
,-,neiiher, christians nor apostles
~ But, my. dear cir, there are distinctive
marks BY which an apostle may be know
from q layman, and if you have not attempt
ed to give them, beg you will state wha
you deem to- be The dBerentia Of an Apos
,tolic Office. - 49,,
= But it. seems to-. me, and to some of m,
!" cotsmporaries,". that you sill cling to you
definition Of an Apostle, foryou say: /" bu
does " PREsBYTER," or any Of his fraterint.
seriously dispute that these things, j. e., hav
:, jng had. personal acquaintance with Chris
:. jim some way and the possession Of thes
letters patent from heaven; the power ofpe'
forming supernatural works, were necessa
ry to the recognition of q man as an apostle.