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these being to be collected from incidental notices, and implications, only, much is left to be learnt by Analogy as to the establishment and government of Churches, and the Ordinations, and Offices of the MINISTRY. Hence" the Acts of one Apostle are to be taken as evidence of " the Acts" of the others under similar circumstances. The Church at JERUSALEM, the first founded according to prophecy, is to be regarded as the MODEL of the Apostolic Churches. And the Epistles, particularly those addressed to Timothy and Titus, are to be considered as general directions, as far as they go, as to the government of the CHURCH, and the Ordination of the Members of the MINISTRY. And that these Acts, this Model, and these Directions, are mentioned and preserved in the Sacred Canon, in order to an obligatory and perpetual adherence to them.

That it may, therefore, be concluded—that it was the Apostolic practice to place in stations of eminence, or within a certain extent of territory, Individuals possessing their confidence, who were "left" to "abide" there, in their place, and "to

set in order things wanting," as they themselves were accustomed to do. To whom was delegated the commission — to “ordain Elders in every City" throughout such district, or Diocese, and also members of the third Order; to rule over such" Elders," and inferior Members;-to punish offenders; and to govern the Church in general. That this system of Diocesan Episcopacy and Government, was adopted in all the Apostolic Churches, since it is found in that first established at Jerusalem, where St. James acted as BISHOP, and where, also, are found the first "Elders," and Deacons. Elders," and Deacons. And that in the Epistles, particularly those to Timothy, and Titus, probably the first Diocesan Bishops after St. James, there are general directions to them, and their Successors,-the members of the First Order,—as to their conduct in the government of the Church, and the Ordination to the Ministry.

PROPOSITION XX.-That from this conciseness in the Sacred Records, some information is to be looked for in the Writings, and practice of those, who lived in, or near, the Apostolic age, and this effectually establishes the existence, in their days, of the THREE Orders, and of Diocesan Episcopacy, or the government by the first of these over the others, and over a number of subordinate Churches; thus connecting the Divine, and Apostolic practice with that of the following ages. And Lists of BISHOPS, or single persons presiding over the Clerical body, in many of the principal Churches founded by the Apostles, with incidental notices of their attendant PRESBYTERS, and DEACONS, and of persons raised from one Order to another, have been recorded, and are yet preserved.

PROPOSITION XXI.-That in consistence with such Authorities-divine and human-an important Fact is acknowledged by the chief Opposers of Diocesan Episcopacy, themselves;-viz. that this form of Ecclesiastical government -one having pre-eminence over the body-a " power without participation," and without which" there would be as many "schisms as Priests," did prevail soon after, if not in the Apostolic age, which latter point, even, which latter point, even, their own arguments

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go far to support.

And if this be the case, and it be considered as a corruption of a scriptural practice, the change, so corrupt, must have been either designedly encouraged, or silently acquiesced in, by the Apostles themselves. On which supposition, they would appear to have proceeded,-in the one case in direct hostility to the HOLY SPIRIT, under whose dictates they had before acted, in the other with a strange indifference, as to a matter so important to the order and peace of the Church! If, on the other hand, it took place in the succeeding age, then is the well known humility, and piety, and disinterested zeal for the truth, of the early Bishops and Martyrs, to be reconciled with such a daring violation both of the Divine institution, and of

Apostolic practice and directions! And moreover, this change from an established form of government to another, different in all the Churches settled in every region of the Christian world -with the silence of History on so extraordinary and important an occurrence; and with the apparently unresisting, and consentaneous, submission of all those from whom the former power had been wrested!--A circumstance not less incredible, than if all the Monarchies of the earth should have been suddenly, and violently, converted into Republics, or such into Monarchies, and no cotemporary historian relate the change, nor the persons dispossessed of dominion resist the aggression !

PROPOSITION XXII.-That thus it appears-from the direct testimony, and analogy, of the HOLY SCRIPTURES—from the evidence of the Fathers, and early Writers-and from the improbability of the arguments on this point of the Adversaries themselves,

That in the Constitution, and Economy of THE CHURCH of God, and of Christ, there has ever existed a Gradation of THREE ORDERS in the PRIESTHOOD:-the first Order filled by individual Succession, and the members thereof exercising rule over the others; which gradation of Orders, and Episcopal superiority, have (notwithstanding an indiscriminate application of titles,—found as well in the History of the Jewish, as of the Christian Hierarchy,) formed the characteristic feature of the MINISTRY of the Church.-That this Economy,-expressly settled by GOD- prevailed essentially during the continuance of the Levitical Priesthood; and at the time when OUR LORD appeared on Earth :-that it was sanctioned by the method adopted by HIM in the development of the Gospel Universal Church; which method was followed by the Apostles in the Churches established by them, and perpetuated by their Successors in all parts of the Christian world: and that in conformity to Divine Institution, and sanction, to Apostolic practice, and Primitive usage, it has generally prevailed, and is maintained, to the present day.

PROPOSITION XXIII.-That the Episcopal form in the Hierarchy, proved thus to be neither a corruption in the Apostolic age, nor an usurpation in the succeeding one, was not seriously attempted to be impeached or renounced (except by Aerius, a Presbyter, in the fourth Century, and his attempt was generally deemed Heretical) till after it had existed in the Apostolic Churches for nearly fifteen Centuries; when a Supremacy arrogated by the Bishops of Rome, and the errors of that Church, occasioned a breaking off communion with it.

That in the REFORMATION that followed, some particular bodies of Christians did, in their new formed establishments, partly from an indiscriminating zeal, affecting a contrary extreme, and partly from alledged necessity under peculiar and local circumstances, institute a more popular form of Ecclesiastical Government, in which the Episcopal powers were lodged in the Body of the members of the second Order; a shadow only of the first Order remaining in the President of the Assembly; while a new, or Lay, Order of Rulers was superadded.

That the innovation thus made in the original institution and economy, led to farther changes, terminating in an extinction of the legitimate Episcopal Office, and the assumption of the appointment to the Ministry by the Laity. And that these progressive irregularities at length produced an entire disregard of the Divine Institution, and of primitive usage ;-the desecration of things hitherto declared sacred; — and the preaching, and administering of the Sacraments, by men untaught, uncalled, and unconsecrated!

PROPOSITION XXIV. That these innovations and irregularities have been occasioned by an inattention to the analogy of Scripture-the neglecting to compare " scriptural things with spiritual" — and a disregard to the testimony of cotemporaneous and succeeding writers. Whence have arisen

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notions apparently erroneous, both as to the constitution of the Church itself, and the established Orders of the Priesthood.

That for want of considering this Analogy, the Church of God and of Christ is regarded as having originated in the days of OUR LORD upon earth, and as being thenceforward only, to be built upon the Rock of Ages; and not as the continuation, and perfection of the Economy Divinely instituted, which prevailed under the Levitical-the imperfect or preparatory dispensation, and was completed under the Christianthe perfect and permanent establishment.—Is regarded, too, as a voluntary Society;-exclusive;―indefinable in its nature and powers;-uncertain in its government ;-insusceptible of the natural influences of Civil Institutions; and not subject to any control or regulation, for which direct, and literal, and, to every individual concerned, satisfactory authority, cannot be produced from the sacred pages.

By which rules of action "the traditions--taught," and "the “ordinances delivered," are sometimes excluded; and warrant is afforded to the enthusiast to "despise the Church of God!" Hence the originally established, and long continued, Orders of the Priesthood have been confounded—a lay-government super-added, on testimony-if any clearly much short of what is rejected in the disputed points; and the People have been made, most inconsistently, the appointers of those whom the Divine authority has constituted to“ have rule over them— "in the Lord," and even allowed-uncalled of God—to take this honour to themselves!

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Which practices are principally maintained by the following arguments-and these arguments are here in brief answered.

FIRST-as to a supposed existence of TWO ORDERS only.

I. On a construction of particular passages, in the Scriptures, and the writings of the Fathers, unsupported in the first case by the analogy of faith, or, in both, by the Context; of which are principally the following:

1. Those in which the terms Пgerbregos, or "Elder," and

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