`I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not

shew you mine opinion.  I said, Days should speak, and multitude of

years should teach wisdom',

but Elihu was very disappointed.

He continued:

`Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand

judgment' (Job 32:6,7,9),

and so, while Timothy was warned not to appoint a `novice', both Timothy and

Titus realized that spiritual ability to rule did not necessarily keep pace

with length of years.  It was because of this veneration for age, that

the apostle referred to Timothy's youth (1 Tim. 4:12).  According to the

testimony of Acts 20, an `elder' was a `bishop' and therefore strange as it

may now sound, a true Presbyterian would have been at the same time a true

Episcopalian! for the word translated `bishop' is episkopos `an overseer'

(Acts 20:28).  These overseers, by reason of the fact that they were given a

charge over `the flock' were practically `shepherds' and indeed, this is

actually stated by Peter when he said of Christ that He was `The Shepherd and

Bishop of your souls' (1 Pet. 2:25).  The qualifications demanded of any who

sought the office of a bishop were mainly moral and dealt with integrity of

character rather than with high spiritual gifts.  The items enumerated in 1

Timothy 3 run parallel with those here found in the epistle to Titus.  A

bishop must be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children,

not accused of riot or unruly, as the servant of God, not self -willed, nor

soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.  He

must be `a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy,

temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught' (Titus 1:6

-9).  To these qualifications, Paul added when writing to Timothy:

`one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection

with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall

he take care of the church of God?)' (1 Tim. 3:4,5,).

He must not be a novice, lest he fall into the condemnation of the

devil.  Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are without; lest

he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil (1 Tim. 3:6,7).  In both

these quotations, the elder and bishop or overseer, must be the husband of

one wife.  These words have been interpreted in several ways.

Polygamy. -- From the writings of Justin Martyr we learn polygamy

was prevalent among the Jews at this time, and Titus was warned about `unruly

and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision'.  We must

remember that Paul is not speaking of a Christian as such, but of a bishop.

Many a Pagan or Jew had become a Christian, who was already involved in a

polygamous marriage.  It would have been wrong and unjust to

have permitted a man to get rid of his pre -conversion obligations; the only

thing that the apostle ruled was that, while a man having more than one wife

could not be excluded from the church, he must not be allowed to hold office.

This is a reasonable restriction and is in no way harsh or unjust, and this

interpretation was that mostly favoured by early authorities.

Second marriage. --

`In the corrupt facility of divorce allowed by the Greek and Roman law,

it was very common for man and wife to separate, and marry other

parties, during the life of one another.  Thus a man might have three