The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1822-10-25

| the church of Alexandria, who 1ouIished
about the year $40, IS also quite clear IN sup
| porf of the EaBe regimen with Cyprian.-
We nafter ourselves, that we have now sue.
ceedcd in proving EPiseopaey 10 be of a.
posiolic origin, 10 the entire satisfaction o
every Dne whose mind Is not governed by
the within of partially, or circumscriheo
within the contracted bounds of prejudice
Those who are guided by these arniabl'
| qualities, W. labor mol To con, ipce--te al
| tempt that, would b. 10 enter on au iusupe-
| rable task tho conscience might point IL
acquieseencc, they would have the asecnlei,-
cy. We shall therefore proceed to All eS-
animation ol the quotations, made by Mo-
mus, from JrroiDe.--And uie reader, IN his
examination Of the different quotations,
will please To bear in mind that, Jerome IL
vcd IN the iih century those from whom
We have adduced, lived long before that pc
Rod and must have had a much better OPP
portunily Of knowing how thu matter stoO,.
than he as many OF thrin lived during tbe
days of the apostles and received their Or
dinsiion at their hands--so that, we're IT,
rome 10 dcny Episropacy in tntallty. II
could be- entitled to llttl. validity, when con-
trasled with the writings OF the oihers-E-
pisropalans, howeycr,are quite wiling, thai
the merits Of Episcopal regimen should ST
even IN the decision fJerome. If he de-
eide against them, however much they may
regret ii, they "ill submit.
The fin ST quotation with which Nomu,
has favored ns, from jerome, reads thus
" not only in his opinion, bul also in That of
scripture, bishops aud prcsbytsrs We're the
same. Grant it--grant, that IN scripture,
bishops aud prcsbyteIs are the sane-does
il thence follow, thu there was no Office su-
pcror 10 this order I This Jerome does
not Ray, nor can he or Momus-if they were
il would BIZ in direct contradiction 10 plain
scripture facts--The truth is, every bishop
is a prcsbyter, but every presbyter is not Il
bishep, nor can he be" II is for the thing,
not the name, "" contend Who then
were The Supporters in order' We answer
the aposiles-and in support OF it, | shall
merely adducc Acts 30, II, 28. And
from Mlletus he sent 10 Ephcsus,and called
the elders Of the church. And when they
were come TO him, he said unto them, take
heed unto yourselves, aud to all the focks
over Which the holy ghost hath made you
oyersrers.o WHO sent and called these Ell
dcfs, or prcsbytcrs, as they in fact were !,
II was 81. Pam-by what authority did he
call thcm? by the authority which was
invested in HIM, rs their founder-thcr
ha %, ID bshop.-Elsc, why DO they un-
rcsrHcdly obey his cali and meet him at
Nietus ST. Paul had ordained Timothy
To COVER the churches at Ephesus, aud Ia
King Timothy with him, on his way To Je-
rusarm, stopped at Mlerus and sent for The
preehyicfs At Ephcsus, undoubtedly, n. a
ready way of Introducing Timothy to his
charge, rs bishop over those churches
From which period we find him presiding
over, and governing thcm-and, indeed,
exercising all the functions which are at
tached to a diocesan bishop OF the present
day--"a pres5yetris the sam. 10 bishop"
This we have already examined. AND be
fore there we're, by the devils, parties il re-
| lleion, the churches were governed by the
common council of prcsbytcrs. Here Je-
rome must be understood. in order not To
have in his remarks any discrepance with
the scriptures, To mean, that the pTsbyter,
governed the churches in subordm&non Il
the apo,tles.-Ail this say the most high
toned Fpi5copalians--it is 50 in this dioccss
Prcsbyters govern in subordination 10 the
bishop--it il 50 throughout this county,
no bishop has exclusive power over the
churchcs-eyery priest, every deacon ant
every layman has his voice in enacting al
laws for the government Of the church
none can be cnaeted-nOne can be ahroga
| ted, without their conscnt--nor can ans
priest, deacon or layman be deposrd with
ont a fair aud regular trial, in which each i
entitled to Il fair and candid hearing.
rome again" the practice of placing on,
| preshy ter above another was introduced I,
prevent schism. "A judicious commpnta.
tor on this passage of Jerome, says, nov
as jerome says, onc of the preshyters wa
! placed over the rest, IN prevent the schisin
which took place at torinth, if we allow
! him common sense, II cannot be suppose,
he meant 10 assent, that the remedy wa
not applied I'LL two or three hundred year
after the evil began. According {,
him, then bishops were introduced in tn,
apostles days, which is all Episcopalan
claim" Further" and that it was bro
in by little aud little" To this every Fps
copalan will ch"erfully subsciibc.-As In
churches increased, and the apostles foun,
IT inrracticable to superintend them all
they gradually placed bishops over them
Hence we find Timothy placed over tn
churches at Ephesus, and Titus over thos
of Critic. Jerome once more" bishop
are above Presbyters, more by the custom
of the church. This is the very point, 70
which Episcopalians contcnd-that bishop
were customary during the days of the a
postles, and that that custom has been con
hnued down TO succeeding ages to the pre-
sent time" than by the appointment q
Christ."-Thc appointment of Christ wa
given To his apostles,'to govern, and tax
charge of his churchcs.-As TO the precis
system of government, we do not find tina
he gave any; hut "what we contend 70
is, that tho We have not an express warran