Star.
London, England, 1808-12-02 00:00:00

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Tolll.€ EDITOR OF tint 414 R:
ON THE PILOBSOCIBS.
Np XXI.' •
T1U.7111,81e-4PART
11. Farther fttogree: of Ecelesiastital Traany--J.Naturt
of the means empkvid to atablith it. •
The Apostles, as we have seen, appointed the first
fruits of their conversions as bishops and deacons,
over the churches which they planted, in the various
towns and countries where they proclaimed the glad
news of the reign of GOD. As the truth continued to
be propagated, new congregations were established in
other places, and new converts were added to those
already established. - But the number.of believers in
any quarter was email, compared with that of the
general population, and, of course, in the country
places, the congregations were fet-med of members,
who often resided at a considerable distance from
each other ; while the church in each city consisted,
net only of the believers in that place, but of those,
residing in the neighbouring district.—ln other words,
asit often required the believers of an extended track
to form a congregation, some of the parishes wire I
very considerable. While the presbytery of each
congregation continued, in the spirit of the primitive
institution, to feed their flocks and oversee them, eat
.forjfithy lucre, hut as enramples to thefloci,lookingoilittell
futurity for their reward, in proportion as the numbOot
believers increased in an extensive parish, the discipleal
in different parts of it, wherever a number sufficient foe
the purpose could most conveniendy assemble, put these.
selves in church order as a distinct congregation, and
elected elders of their own, who were set apart to
their office by the itnposition of the hands of the elders
of the neighbouring eongregations.—The convenient*
of the believers was thus consulted, Ind more ft*:
quent opportunities were afforded them of assembling
together than they could possibly command, when
obliged to repair to a great distance to enjoy that psi:
vilege ; and they were thus enabled with greater fa.
ality to spread the knowledge of the truth- anlots
their - nnbeiieving and, ignorant neighbours—free&
giving what thry had freely received. Rot when .the
bishops became actuated by a different spirit, count-
ing gain godliness, ruling the flock, as masters do their
own possession (2 Pet. v. 3) then the word parish, in-
stead of continuing to signify the place of a pilgrim
on the earth, became the technical name for this new
Lord's heritage ; and the shore extensive his tertitoty
Was, the greater revenue he could derive-front it—an
idea that never once entered the mind of the first 111.
shops. lithe necessities or convenience of thebrethrest
required two minaret/am if ',yeti's:sin a district where
there had formerly been but one, they might have
them—bat only as part: and portion: of the :arse parish,
tiad.r the :time Lit Acts and furnished with one or more
presbyters from his prrslytery, to rule and govern them
under Al: authority. Thus was formed a kind of impe.
river: in imperio, a cl:urcb within a chnrch—congrega-
- tions gnverned by a foreign power— danghters of a
mother church, and no longer independent.
This first took place in the parishf of the bishop
of Alexandria, about the middle of the third cm-
turyr-at lefst Dronvms,. the bishop of that church,
is the first who speaks of diyinet congregations in the
most remote sulurk of the cityt, and it appears that even
for -sera time after this all the other great bishOp-
H
• ricts continued to be so many single congrega,..
tions: From his mention of them as being in the
OYIXOtaI :astray it is easy to see, that the convenience;
of the Members was consulted in establishing theie
ilipmeint congregations, 'though the laws of Christ
were disregarded. At that tithe it was usual for the
believers to assemble together every Lord's Day,
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, and to chow whit
lived in the remote parts of the city, it ntust often
have been very incommodious to attend a place of
meeting at a great distance from their homes. When
they were sufficiently numerous in any suburb to form
a separate congregation ; it was therefore desirable ,
on many accounts, that they should adopt that mea-
sure—but why dependent on the Bishop of another
congregation ? The motive on the part.of the Bi-
shop
of the mother church is obvious 'enough--but
what could induce the *embers of the .newly-orga-
r.ised congregation to agree to such an arrangement ?
In fact the Bishops had by this tittle acquired such
an unscriptural influence over the minds of the peo-
. pie, and, by degrees, had obtained so much power,
that few were disposed to question the propriety of
any of their proceedings, and still ,fewer to brave
tht:r anathemas.
This naturally leads to some enquiry into the nature
of the means by which they became possesied of an'
authority, not conferred on them by the Seriptmes,
and which at length became so shameless as to deny
all con troul, so unbounded as to set the power cif
• Th;li had not yet departed so far from propriety aso Mill
the home in whirl, they vitt S v chweh. Such a mode of speech
would has.. -eicied a. strangely in their ears, as it would In NM
to call a issildirg an Japrridy4 for both are equally absurd. In
She year 2,-5. 141seh MILO% SADOOSATLNUS, bishop of Anti.
arch, was depriPt4 of Lis office for heresy, and DOPINISS appoist-
ed to his Our, he refused a6' resign "the tharch's hawse [me ems,le.
mat my] but was- compelled by the Emperor AVRLLIM* to
resign * that holar [roe •Jity)—liot that church (Enact). lib. vii.
sap. xis.)
Not one of ere paseages In the New Testameitte quoted by
Churchmen, to prove that the move's sometimes Agonies
g, halal :Pi 11144 tth ihs aartgalisa astnahlale conveys that mon in
thk Let the passages first be translated into English
-}(;berth is not English and darn let them put tbst meiniug oa
eh: word, if they be able.
i• The word !Motet', by which the Bishop's charge Is cow
ddnortrlnatOd, does out appear to have beeuever used in
Its i resent aceptation by any of the Antlents.
i Atlver.'Osrmanum apud vii. &sp.

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