The portion of the book relating to the superintendents opens with a
statement of the reasons which had led its framers "to make difference
betwixt preachers _at this time_."[196] These last words, as has often
been remarked, would have been unmeaning had they regarded the
superintendent's office as by divine institution permanent in the church
and superior to that of the ordinary minister. Accordingly, when they
proceed to state in detail the reasons which induced them to sanction
such a difference, these are found to be--not, as in the Anglican
Ordinal, that there have always been in the church of Christ distinct
orders of bishops and presbyters,[197] nor even as in Alasco's book that
such offices were in some sort necessary, though, save in matters
executive, in no way superior to their brethren the ordinary ministers
of the church, but--that the dearth of qualified preachers or ministers
at that time in Scotland was so great, that if each were to be settled
in a single town or parish, and allowed to make continual residence
therein, the larger part of the realm would be left altogether destitute
of that efficient spiritual instruction, oversight, and training which
the people themselves eagerly longed for, and the reformed leaders
earnestly desired to provide for them. To meet this emergency, without
being obliged to avail themselves so generally and unrestrictedly
as the English had done of the former popish incumbents, they deemed it
most expedient that these should, for a time at least, be restricted to
the humbler duties of readers; and that from the whole number of godly
and learned men then in the realm ten or twelve should be selected, and
one of them assigned to each of the proposed provinces, which he should
visit annually through its whole extent, preaching from time to time in
every parish not provided with an ordained and preaching minister,
seeing to the administration of the sacraments and of church discipline
in such parishes, and presiding at the meetings of the provincial synod,
and at the examination and admission of ministers and readers appointed
to serve at the churches.

[Sidenote: Superintendent and Bishop compared.]

It used to be maintained by Scottish episcopalians, and has been
reiterated even in our own day, that there is hardly any difference to
be discerned between these superintendents and the old bishops save the
substitution of a name which is bad Latin for one which is good Greek.