They were often sent out into other countries to propagate the gospel, as in case of Origen, sent into Arabia.

Before Origen, we read nothing of a plurality of teachers in one school. But as he could not satisfy the multitude that flocked to his instructions from morning till night, he divided his school, and committed those who had recently commenced study to Heracles; and himself retained the more advanced.

As we come down to the fourth century, we find the resources of the church increased, and her libraries and schools the more ample. All such methods of propagating Christianity were vigorously promoted by Constantine, the Emperor. He brought the imperial treasures into the work. The persecuting Emperors, that had preceded him, had commanded all Christian books, and especially the scriptures, to be burnt. But Constantine commanded them to be multiplied at the public expense. There is now extant an order, written by him to Eusebius of Cesarea, to procure parchment and the writing of books for the church. Athanasius in his account of the Arian persecutions, shows that libraries were preserved with great care in Christian temples. And he accuses the Arians of impiety in plundering and burning those books. And history makes express mention of a burning of a library in the Church of Antioch, by the command of Jovinian, at the instigation of his wife. In this burning, many books of great value, together with the temple were destroyed. Hieronymus also speaks, in several places, of libraries in the churches. And from the acts of the council of Rome, held under Sylvester, it appears that the church at Rome employed writers, to write out the histories of different martyrs.

As to schools in this century, in all the more important churches, two kinds of schools were sustained; one for teaching science and philosophy; and the other for sacred literature. Nazianzen mentions a school in Palestine, in which he himself learned rhetoric. Sozomen mentions a school of which Sopater, a Greek philosopher, had the charge. Epiphanius had a school at Laodicea. Lactantius taught rhetoric in a school at Nicomedia. But the ancient and distinguished school in Alexandria, maintained its pre-eminence in the fourth century. Basil speaks of it as the centre of universal learning. There was also a school at Athens, which Julian attended at the same time with Basil and Gregory Nazianzen. There was another at Rome,

in which Victorinus taught rhetoric. And even in Britain, in the time of Constantine, there was a college in which more than two thousand students were supported in the study of Christian literature.

The pupils in these schools were first instructed in the principles of the Christian religion; and then committed to teachers, to be taught in heathen literature. That children were allowed to be fully instructed in classic and heathen authors, is evident from various facts, that might be quoted. Let this suffice, that Julian, the apostate, in his efforts to crush the Christian religion, prohibited Christian youth from being taught either in the schools or in the books of the Pagans. There would have been no occasion for such a prohibition if Christians had not been in a habit of cultivating classic learning. And when Jovian, a Christian emperor, came into power, he issued an edict, requiring Christian youth to be instructed in heathen literature. Basil and Gregory, in their youth, attended the instruction of two heathen sophists at Athens, Numericus and Prohalresius, who, after the edict of Julian, left their school, lest Christians should learn from them, and teach the liberal arts. There is extant, in the works of Basil, an admonition to youth, designed to guide them to make the best use of heathen learning, in which he advises that the writings of heathen historians and poets should be thoroughly read. He says that they should use the poets and orators, and all from whom any advantage is to be derived, towards the furnishing of the mind. He advises them to select those poets, who relate the words and deeds of good men, and he names, of this class, Hesiod and Homer; and he advises them to shun the drunken, the lascivious and the satirical poets. He gives similar advice respecting the reading of heathen orators and philosophers; and names some that he will have them read, such as Pericles, Euclid, Socrates, and others.

The

It was not lawful for every one to teach in public schools. Teachers must first be approved by the judgment of their order; and have the sanction of the magistrates. school at Rome, in this century, had three professors of oratory, ten of grammar, five of logic, one of philosophy and two of law; each of whom taught in separate apart

ments.

The above facts, touching the state and means of learning in the primitive church, may be useful for some pur

poses. But they are insufficient to exalt primitive traditions to the dignity of a coördinate rule of faith. They exhibit the genius of Christianity, contending with great obstacles, in its proper work of diffusing knowledge. It is its nature, wherever it goes, to kindle up a light around itself; and enlighten all that come within its sphere. But do they show the primitive ages to have been to such an extent enlightened, as to entitle them to give law to all succeeding ages? What were the superior sources of light, open to the primitive fathers, that such deference of all succeeding generations, should be challenged for them? We have laboured to present the state of learning in their day, in the most favourable light, consistent with truth; and what have we shown? We have shown, that amid the difficulties incident to an infant church, recently converted from heathenism, and but half delivered from the bondage of heathen prescriptions and superstitions—a church gathered mainly from the humbler classes—the means of instruction by great efforts and sacrifices were secured in some tolerable degree-but barely tolerable, compared with what are now enjoyed by the church. And if the leading Christian writers of that age are to be rated according to their relative advantages, for the study of theology, they will take a very humble rank. And if rated according to their actual talents and acquirements, they will stand no higher. They had one advantage over us. To them, or some of them, the language of the New Testament was vernacular; so that what they read with the naked eye, we read through spectacles. But when we come to examine some specimens of their exegesis, we are led to think that they too had need of spectacles. Such puerilities and absurdities mar the pages of the writings of the best of the fathers, as put our candour and charity, severely to the test. We have need to make large allowances for the disadvantages under which they laboured to save them from absolute contempt. Such allowances are justly their due. Though Christianity had been revealed to them in as full perfection as it has been to us, they were not brought by it up to the stature of perfect men. Though the Christian revelation was completed, and no more gospel was left to be revealed by after developments, or drawn out by the progress of science, yet the impression made by the gospel, on minds so under the influence of heathenism, or so recent from it, was not so full as that made on

those wholly removed from such debasing influences. Neither converted heathen nor their grandchildren, can be expected to exhibit the best specimens of the character, which the gospel forms. Nor must we look to the infancy of the church for the best developments of character, and the richest emissions of light. It will do for abettors of error to appeal to the fathers, and bolster up their systems. by the frivolities of writers, whose names have acquired additional weight, by being seen through the magnifying glass of antiquity. But the truth and its friends are interested to maintain the supremacy of the scriptures, and the fallacy of tradition.

ART. II.-Essays on the Church of God. By John M. Mason, D. D. Presbyterian Board of Publication. Philadelphia: 1843.

THAT the details of church government are not found explicitly stated in the New Testament is readily admitted; it is believed, however, that fundamental principles are there found, which, if combined in a system, will naturally lead to these details. These elementary principles are;Union; Parity; Representation. These stand out, with great prominence, in the divine record; and no system of ecclesiastical government, from which either of these is excluded, can have the authority of Jesus Christ and his apostles for its support. This will appear with convincing clearness, by a reference to the truth itself.

I. Union.-At the commencement of the Christian dispensation the members of each individual church were required to be united. This is manifest from the statements, instructions, and exhortations of the apostles. The disciples, having witnessed the ascension of their divine master, furnish the most amiable example of this union. From Mount Olivet they returned to Jerusalem; "and there all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication." Shortly after this, on the day of Pentecost," they were all with one accord in one place." Paul, writing to the saints which are in Christ Jesus, at Philippi, gives this affectionate exhortation: "Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind."

To the Corinthians: "Be ye perfectly joined together in the same mind, and in the same judgment." The same thing appears from the cautions, reproofs, and rebukes of the apostle against the very first and slightest appearance of division amongst the disciples. The churches had. scarcely been organized, when the seeds of division were sown among the members. To prevent these seeds from taking root, or crush them in the bud, was the determined effort of Paul. This was especially the case in the Corinthian church. Some of the members preferred one, and some another of the ministers of the gospel; and some, on the same principle, that is, for the sake of distinction, were of Christ. However plausible these preferences might appear; and however little the dangers to be apprehended from them, in the estimation of men; yet, as they had already produced contentions, the discerning eye of Paul saw in them a tendency, which, unless effectually checked, would interrupt the harmony and destroy the unity of the church. Therefore, although he himself was the favourite of some, he directs the whole force of his rebuke against these preferences. "Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?" then beseeches them, with much tenderness, that "there be no divisions among you." To the Romans he writes with the same view; "mark them who cause divisions, and avoid them." The earnest prayer of Paul, for all the members of all the churches, was that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love. Such, also was the prayer of the Saviour, "That they all may be one as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us." The bonds of this union are distinctly stated.

1. Faith; that is the knowledge and belief of the truth; the truth which is the word of God. Union is a oneness. All associations of men are characterized by this oneness. The members of all organized societies, while they retain their individual rights and distinct personality, in some respects are all one. Such is the Christian church; her members are all united by the bond of Faith.

One man searches the scriptures for the purpose of ascertaining the doctrines therein contained, the belief of which is essential to salvation. After prayerful inquiry, he finds, to give one instance, that the sinner is not justified in the sight of God, neither in whole nor in part, on the ground of good works; but exclusively on the ground of