Tuesday 23 May 2017

Elders and Sacraments



Elders and Sacraments

Thomas Witherow was Professor of History and Pastoral Theology at the Presbyterian College in Londonderry, and Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (1878). We tend to know him through his work on Presbyterianism, “The Apostolic Church—which is it?” (1856). However, he also authored a short study that dealt specifically with the eldership.  It makes interesting reading and certainly contains some novel ideas:

“As to the administration of baptism and the Lord's Supper, we ought to divest ourselves of the last relic of that old sacramental theory, that the ordinances lose all their influence if not dispensed by the hands of a minister, and admit the fact, that there is no reason why they should be administered by the pastoral elder rather than the ruling elder, except that the former is usually best qualified, when administering the rite, to edify the people at the same time.

What mystery is there about these symbolic institutions, that we should believe them to be more efficacious when administered by one of the elders rather than by another ? Is such a notion consistent with our own doctrine, that "the sacraments become effectual means of salvation, not from any virtue in them or in him that doth administer them ?" Are we to perpetuate the absurdity that no spiritual good is conveyed by a sacrament, except it is dispensed by the one among the elders who is better educated than his brethren ? Education certainly has its advantages ; but we make too much of education if we suppose that the want of it in a church-officer deprives of its validity the ordinance of Christ.” 

“The New Testament Elder his Position, Powers and Duties” Witherow, Thomas, 1824-1890



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