intent, appoint preachers of the word, and dispose the oral and Preaching. written eloquence of its ministers to bear in the same direction. For the right management of all this, the uninspired Church would often find no parallel or strict precedent in apostolical history, and would act on its own discretion. But here, again, its discretion would not be quite uncontrolled. It would be bound so to act, as to conform to those very fundamental principles of the Church to which the apostles themselves conformed; nor would its practice, in any such case, be a precedent for after times, unless it could abide this test, nor even then, for we should further calculate on its conformity to the scriptural principles, under all the difference of circumstances between the then and the present condition of the Church, before we admitted it as a lawful precedent. corruption Church not with God's tions, Nor would it, at all, affect the Divine character of our religion, if Early it should appear that the Church had, in any one instance, departed of Practice from its principles, immediately on losing its inspired and extraordi- by the nary superintendence. Even if it were found to be so, this would inconsistent not affect its claim to a divine origin, much less oblige us to imitate other and perpetuate the error. In mere human institutions, it may imply dispensawant of wisdom and foresight in the founder, that his work should soon have degenerated, and its object be defeated; but this reasoning is not applicable to the Divine appointments; at least it does not apply to the condition of the Church more than to any other of these appointments. The same difficulty meets us in the history of the progressive corruption of the human race; in the backslidings of God's chosen people, the Jews; and it is what we have reason to look for even in the last dispensation itself, from the prophetic warning of its inspired founders. It is a difficulty which resolves itself into the inexplicable question concerning the existence of evil. The general an argument corruption of the Christian world, at any past period, ought to be presence of considered rather as a presumption that the Church is assisted by His constant God; and this the more, the earlier such corruption occurred. It is ship. so for this reason. When the old world first began to corrupt religion, we know that men plunged deeper and deeper into error. When the Jews began to disobey the law and to practise idolatry, we see plainly from their history that the like fate would have befallen them. And why did it not? Because God continually interposed. What, then, but a corresponding, though insensible, Divine guardianship can account for that which has taken place in the Church of Christ-reformation? That it should have occurred otherwise, is contrary to all that has ever happened, according to the religious history of mankind in every age. for the Guardian ary power of To the rulers of the Church, viewed in its sacramental character, Discretionas the temple of the Holy Ghost, and the medium of Divine grace, the Church a discretionary power was likewise left, and likewise subject to a as to limitation which could never be fairly misunderstood. For the attainment of this object, certain forms and ceremonies were requi Ceremonies. How far limited. site; in which Christians, as such, join, and through which, as members of a community, grace was to be imparted. To Christians, as a society, the promise of the Spirit was made; and, accordingly, to them, as a society, it was to be conveyed. The apostles had begun and established precedents, which, of course, would be naturally adopted by their uninspired successors. But still, as these were only the formal means of grace, and not the blessing itself, it was equally to be expected that the Church should assume a discretionary power, whenever the means established became impracticable or clearly unsuitable, and either substitute others, or abolish such as existed, without appointing any in their stead. At the same time, so great a license would leave the Church liable to be disturbed by the caprice of mankind; and it was accordingly necessary that the boundary of its liberty should be strongly marked. The obvious line is this: the appointments made by the apostles had a twofold object, some were designed to convey extraordinary gifts, some ordinary. Whatever form was instituted by them for conveying extraordinary gifts, was evidently not to be continued by the uninspired Church; at least not with the original purpose in view. As to the other appointments, it might seem at first that the apostolical precedents were literally binding on all ages: but this cannot have been intended; and for this reason, that the greater portion of the apostolical practices have been transmitted to us, not on apostolical authority, but on the authority of the uninspired Church: which has handed them down with an uncertain mixture of its own appointments. How are we to know the enactments of the inspired rulers from those of the uninspired? and, if there be no certain clue, we must either bring down the authority of apostolical usage to that of the uninspired Church, or raise that of the uninspired Church to that of the apostolical. Now the former is, doubtless, what was, to a certain extent, intended by the apostles themselves, as will appear from a line of distinction by which they have carefully partitioned off such of their appointments as are designed to be perpetual, from such as are left to share the possibility of change with the institutions of uninspired wisdom. If, then, we look to the account of the Christian usages contained in Scripture, nothing can be more unquestionable, than that while some are specified, others are passed over in silence. It is not even left so as to make us imagine that those mentioned may be all; but, while some are noted specifically, the establishment of others is implied, without the particular mode of observance being given. Thus, we are equally sure from Scripture, that Christian ministers were ordained by a certain form, and that Christians assembled in prayer; but while the precise process of laying on of hands is mentioned in the former institution, no account is given of the precise method of Church Service, or even of any regular forms of prayer, beyond the Lord's Prayer. Even the record of the Ordination Service itself admits of the same distinction. It is quite as certain that some prayer was used, as that some outward form accompanied the prayer; but the form is specified, the prayer left unrecorded. What, now, is the obvious interpretation of the holy Dispenser's meaning in this mode of record? Clearly it is, that the apostles regulated under his guidance the forms and practices of the Church, so as was best calculated to convey grace to the Church at that time. At the same time, part of its institutions were of a nature, which, although formal, would never require a change; and these therefore were left recorded in the Scriptures to mark the distinction of character. The others were not, indeed, to be capriciously abandoned, not at all, except when there should be manifest cause for so doing; but as such a case was supposable, these were left to mingle with the uninspired precedents, the claims of which, as precedents, would be increased by this uncertain admixture, and the authority of the whole rendered so far binding, and so far subject to the discretion of the Church. They might not be altered, unless sufficient grounds should appear; but the settling of this point was left to the discretion of the Church; and this discretion, again, was subject to the check above described, as arising out of the well-defined characteristics of the Church. Among the methods of communicating Divine grace, the Sacraments, of course, are distinguished as having been the appointment of our blessed Lord himself. As far, however, as their permanent claim extends, in common with that of other institutions, to be celebrated according to all the form found in Scripture, the foregoing general remarks are sufficient. It will be time enough to enter more fully into this particular branch of inquiry, when we arrive at it in the detail of the practices of the primitive Church; for the better estimate of which, this previous view has been taken. CHAPTER III. From A.D. 100-167. HOW FAR THE DESIGN OF THE CHURCH'S INSPIRED FOUNDERS WAS CHURCHES OR THEIR RULERS. Of the three leading questions, whereby it was proposed to elicit a view of the primitive Church, two have been briefly, but, perhaps, sufficiently discussed. We have now seen, first, what parts of the apostles' ministry were intended for the foundation of Christianity, and next, what parts were intended for its preservation and application. The third inquiry remains, How far was the design of the Church's inspired founders preserved and followed up by the first uninspired Churches or their rulers? As this can only be satisfactorily answered by a detail of the proceedings of the primitive Church-so far, at least, as those proceedings are known to us-little more will be requisite in most instances, than to observe such an arrangement of these historical facts, as shall connect them with the general view to which they refer. This arrangement will be formed in reference to the view already taken of the character of the Church and its several offices; so as that each point of ecclesiastical history necessary for our purpose may be brought under one of these four heads. I. How the first uninspired Church fulfilled its office of preserving and attesting the sacred record. II. How the first uninspired Church fulfilled its office of dispensing the truths contained in this sacred record. III. How the first uninspired Church fulfilled its office of conveying Divine grace. IV. How far its discipline, or method of self-preservation, was conformable to the design of its inspired founders. Preservation I. HOW THE FIRST UNINSPIRED CHURCH FULFILLED ITS OFFICE OF One of the preceding remarks on the uses of the Church was, that of the Sacred it was designed to be to the sacred record, what an inspired order of ministers had been to the unrecorded revelation. Revelation was Record. withdrawn, and Scripture left in its room. As revelation had been secured against misrepresentation or curtailment, by Divine suggestion and correction, and also attested to be Divine by signs, wonders, and spiritual gifts; so, in the establishment of the Church, we see a corresponding provision made for the preservation of the Scriptures, and also for a perpetual testimony to their authority. Among the means whereby this was effected, the principal have been : 1. THE PUBLIC READING OF THE SCRIPTURES. It is not to the utility of this practice as a mode of promulgating By Public the Divine truths of the Gospel, that I am now alluding; but to its Reading. effect in preventing the loss or corruption of the sacred record itself, in any, or in all societies of Christians; and also in keeping up a perpetual testimony to its Divine authority, of which evidence the Church was the especial and appointed vehicle. The value of the Its value. practice, in this point of view, can only be justly estimated by recollecting, how much more difficult it was to keep up a chain of evidence to the identity of a record such as this, (in which the smallest doubt was likely to vitiate the claim of the whole,) before reading was common; and still more, before the art of printing was invented. The language of Scripture continually sounding in the ears of Christians of all classes, would leave no interval for the introduction of false records. The Church would thus keep up a familiarity with its Divine Guide, which might be compared to that which holy men of old, probably, acquired with any particular mode of Divine communication from the frequency of their revelations. They learned to know the voice of the Lord God, and could not be imposed on by a lying spirit. And so, doubtless, it was intended, that the written word of God should be made continually to speak to his Church, in order that his Church never may be subject to delusion from the cunning devices of impostors. That the primitive Church contemplated this purpose, in its careful observance of the usage, may be questioned. It is, indeed, probable, that its main, perhaps its sole, object was the instruction thereby afforded. But, granting this to be so, neither in this nor in any other of the Christian practices, was it requisite that the whole or the main design of the Church's Divine Ruler should have been comprehended by his obedient ministers. The apostles themselves, perhaps, saw not the full operation and progressive results of their own plans; and we, at this moment, may be cherishing among the rites and ordinances of Christianity some, the full effect of which it may be reserved to future times, to a period beyond this world, to develop. customs As far back as we can trace any accounts, incidental or direct, of Early the service of the primitive Church, the public reading of the Scrip- attendant tures is recognised. Even the minute arrangement of particular upon it. portions for particular seasons was observed. Occasional deviations, |