John Whitgift on the office of ruling elder in the primitive church

[Reformed Covenanter]

While John Whitgift (who was later Archbishop of Canterbury) differed with Thomas Cartwright over whether or not the office of ruling elder was perpetual, both of them agreed that such officers did exist in the primitive church:

I know that in the primitive church they had in every church certain Seniors, to whom the government of the congregation was committed, but that was before there was any Christian Prince or magistrate that openly professed the Gospel, and before there was any Church by public authority established, or under Civil government: ...

For more, see John Whitgift on the office of ruling elder in the primitive church.

 

[iainduguid]

One of John Whitgift's other contributions was to found the school I attended. The school still had broadly Christian roots in my day, with a very strong Christian Union for the students and a significant minority of solid Christian teachers, though it could hardly be called a Christian school as such. It has moved considerably upmarket these days, and I doubt my parents would have been able to send me there now, but I am very thankful for the exceptional education I received (much more so now than when I left).