ROM. xvi. 1. “I commend
unto you Phebe our sister, which is a servant of the church
which is at Cenchrea.”
BY means of the light supplied by this paragraph, let us
take a few glances at the life and work of the early
Church.
I. Let us take a momentary look at Paul himself. See
how, with all the care of the Churches, he forgets no act
of kindness. “Salute Rufus chosen of the Lord.” Rufus
is supposed to be the son of Simon, whom the multitude
compelled to carry the cross of our Redeemer.
II. Notice that the name of Peter is not found in the
list. If the advocates of Popery were correct in their
assumptions, it must certainly have been there.
III. Learn how members were transferred from one
Church to another. They were received as becometh
saints.
IV. Observe who are the class on whom the apostle
bestows special commendation: Christian workers and
Christian sufferers.
V. Notice the important place which women held in the
early Church.
A. C. Tait, D.D.