them, as the only rule and ftandard of their faith and worshipt.: If you afk, what form of worship took place in this early age of the Chriftian church, Tertullian informs us, the feriptures were first read, then pfalms fung, then a fermon preached, and prayers prefentedt: Thus Juftin Martyr writes: they first begun their public worship with reading the writings of the prophets; and as foon as they had them in M. S. the epiftles of the apoftles; afterwards they fung pfalms, then they preached the word, which was a commentary on the leffons read, and then concluded with prayer and interceffion]]. The difcipline they obferved was no other than the execution of thofe laws prefcribed by the apostles, for the correction and prevention of fuch offences as were incident to the members of the church of Chrift, in which great regard was had to the nature of the offence, and, except in the moft criminal inftances, was always exercifed with much lenity and gentleness, in the confcioufnefs of their own imperfection and liability to err. * It is indeed obfervable, that notwithstanding the fimplicity of doctrines, worship, and ceremonies, that was preferved in the apoftolic age, there were fome different apprehenfions amongst the Jewish profelytes to Chriftianity, touching fome of the Jewish rites; and, for the fake of truth and peace, we find the apoftles thought it requifite to confult together, and accordingly affembled at Jerufalem, A. C. 53. in which the apoftles difpenfed with an obfervation of the ceremonial law, feeing that the Chriftian difpenfation was fufficient to the falvation of its votaries. Acts xv. 11. They likewife held another council at Jerufalem, A. D. 60. in which they tolerated fome legal obfer + Doctor Chandler's Notes of the Church, p. 13, 15. De Animâ, c. iii. p. 530. vnces vances for a time, that by fuch condefcenfion the weaker part, both of Jews and Gentiles, might be gained to the belief and profeffion of Chriftianity, Acts xxi. 18-22. There is no mention made in the New Teftament, nor any other authentic proof in this century,that any council was called to compile canons for the order and government, or creeds and fummaries of faith, for uniformity of fentiments in the Chriftian churches. Decrees of this kind much better fuit with the ambition and authority affumed by fome ecclefiaftics in later time: though I am fenfible a work of this kind has long fince made its appearance in the world under that fpecious character: but we have many teftimonies of the primitive Chriftians *This book is faid to be compiled by Clement, bishop of Rome, who was chofen to that office in the year 67, and died in 88: it is entitled Apoftolical Conftitutions, digefted in eight books; confifting of 70 canons relating to the laity, and 85 with refpect to the dignity, office, and duty of ecclefiaftics: and the late Rev. and learned Mr. Whifton has, with much pains, endeavoured to establish their authenticity; in which he has likewife pointed out the order and method of the feveral matters therein contained, refpecting doctrine, worship, difcipline, and manners; in which is likewife inferted the canon of fcripture, approved and recommended by the apoftles, which were extant before the year 63, together with the Baptifmal Creed, and one other formulary or creed, chiefly calculated to promote the doctrine of Arius with regard to the fubordination of the Son to the Father. Then follows an Effay on the Apoftolical Conftitutions, wherein our author endeavours to fhew their confiftency with the doctrines taught by Chrift and his apoftles; quotes a variety of teftimonies from the fathers and hiftorians of feveral fucceeding centuries, in proof of fome or other of those conftitutions, or whofe fentiments coincided with them. That they are of great antiquity, will not be denied; but that they have no juft claim to the authority contended for, will, I prefume, be readily admitted by any one who compares the contents of them with the doctrines contained in the New Teftament. For befides the entire filence of the New Teftament concerning them, which, to me, is no fmall proof that they are fpurious, feveral of thofe canons carry with them apparent marks of mere modern invention. The dignity and power of the clergy is here, like the hierarchy of the church of Rome, ftretched to fuch an exorbitant height, as could hardly be confiftent with Chriftian liberty, or with the fafety of Chriftians, especially under heathen governors.-To them was Chriftians invariable regerd to the doctrines and examples of our Lord and his apoftles; and by the Steadfaftnefs of their faith, fimplicity of their worship and behaviour, were an honour to their profeflion as Chrif tians; but notwithstanding thefe exemplary lives, there was such an oppofition in the principles of Christianity, to the practices and views of the heathen Emperors, that they perfecuted the Chriftians with the greatest feverity. tion. The first perfecution of the Chriftians First perfecu- began at Rome, A. D. 64. Among others St. Peter and St. Paul fuffered martyrdom*, That called the fecond perfecution of the Chriftians, began in the reign of Domitian, A, D. 95 †. This, was to be committed the care of the ecclefiaftical revenue, for which they were accountable to none but God. Moreover, the titles given the priests, in fome places, are impious: they are not only ftiled prophets, rulers, kings, and governors, but alfo mediators between God and his faithful people, and in chap. xxvi. and chap. xxix. ftiled gods.They mention the ufing holy oil for anointing the candidates before, and of ointments for fealing them after, baptifm-of ufing water with the wine in the Lord's fupper.-They recommend pecuniary fines for fin, prayers, or offerings and feftivals for the deadesteem and honour for the reliques of faints, and other ceremonies equally fuperftitious and unfcriptural: for which me muft refer the reader to Mr. Whifton's Primitive Christianity Revived, book iii. to which is added his defence. But fo incongruous did the general tenour of them appear to the New Teftament, and fo unfatisfactory his defence, that they were cenfured by the convocation at Canterbury, A. D. 1711 The form of which is as follows: Whereas the faid William Whifton, the better to support his heretical opinions, fpeaking of a book commonly called the Apoftolical Conftitutions, hath thefe words: " I have, I think, certainly found, that thofe Apoftolical Conftitutions, which the Antichristian church hath fo long laid afide as fpurious and heretical, are no other than the original laws and doctrines of the gospel, the new covenant, or moft facred ftandard of Christianity, equal in their authority to the four gofpels themselves, and fuperior in authority to the epiftles of fingle apottles; fome parts of them being our Saviour's own original laws, delivered to the apostles; and the other parts the public acts of the apostles themselves, met in council at Cefarea and Jerufalem, a little before their death; and that this was the * Blair. + Ibid. con This, however, as it was a trial of their faith, their patience, their fincerity, their fortitude, and magnani+ mity, thofe virtues fhone fo confpicuous in their lives, even unto death, as render them amiable and illuftrious examples to future generations. CENTURY THE SECOND. Century the second affords us fome inftances, in which the church of Rome varied from her primitive state*. The Fonftant opinion and teftimony of the earlieft ages of the gospel :" We cannotbut declare thefe affertions concerning a book, which was never yet acknowledged as part of the canon of Scripture by any general council, nor received as fuch in any Chriftian church, to be highly abfurd and impious, tending to create in the minds of Chriftians great uncertainties, as to their rule of faith, and to fubvert that faith which was once delivered to the faints, and which is preferved in the books of the New Teftament, received in our church. T It has been already observed, that it is very unlikely, that Peter was ever bishop of the particular fociety or congregation of Christians at Rome; because he could not execute fuch an office without quitting his apostleship, and thereby betraying that truft which Chrift had repofed in him but if this were granted, nothing can justly be inferred from thence in favour of any apoftolical power or jurifdiction, which might be fuppofed to defcend from him to his fucceffors the bishops of Rome, or to any other bishop; because the bishop of Rome did not fucced St. Peter in his apoftolical, but in his epifcopal character only (a).... Moft vain it must therefore be, for the late bishops of Rome, or any other bishop, to lay claim to the power of the keys, let that power be what it will, or any other apoftolical power or jurifdiction whatever, feeing no fuch power has, or could be defcended, to them. For the apoftolical commiffion extended no farther than the fourteen apostles, and therefore, when the apoftles died, the apoftolic office, and confequently all apoftolic power, died with them. It is likewife obfervable, how vain the pretence is, that the bishops and clergy of the church of Rome have been continued by a regular uninterrupted fucceffion from the apoftles down to the prefent time; whereas, according to the account of father Paul (6), the fucceffion of bishops and clergy has been greatly interrupted: thus, not only in the apoftles time, but down to the end of this century, thofe, appointed to any offices in Chriftian focieties, were elected, or fet apart, to their respective offices by the body of Chriftians; that is, (a) See Barrow on the Pope's Supremacy, Chubb's True Gofpele (6) Father Paul's Account of Beneficiary Matters, p. 5, 6, by The union of different churches in fucceeding times, however falutary in itself, was attended with many abuses, especially the union of thofe churches which had before, either by their fituation, or by new congregations, been connected, furnished a fpacious opportunity for one church to acquire more authority than others; and this was chiefly the cafe of thofe churches, as were moft confiderable in number, or could claim apoftolical foundation, or in the capital of a province. All thefe circumstances contributed to raise the credit and dignity of the church of Rome: her bifhop gradually diftinguished himself more and more from the elders. We meet with encomiums upon that church fo early as in the fecond century: but thefe, by no means, prove that other churches fubmitted to her; the contrary manifeftly appears from the inftances of the Afiatic churches in that early difpute, concerning the fitness, expediency, and duty of obferving Eafter, commonly called the celebration of Eafter *. The first confiderable invafion on the church liberties was made by Victor, bifhop of Rome, about the year 195, relating to the time of celebrating Eafter day. The Chriftians of Afia the Lefs kept it on the 14 day after the first new moon that followed the vernal equinox, on what day foever it happened. On the contrary, the churches of Rome, France, Corinth, &c. held, that Eafter day ought always to be on a Sunday. Victor, who could not eafily decide the controverfy, without more a-do excommunicated all the Chriftian churches of Afia-at least so far as to withdraw from, and refuse communion, with the Afiatic churches on that account, according to Eufebius, to whom we refer the reader. by that fociety they were appointed to ferve. And though the ufing, or applying the outward fign of fuch election, by laying on of hands, and of praying for God's bleffing, was performed by the bishop; yet that did not affect the act of the fociety or congregation, whofe minifter he was, or the independency of one church on another; but was a mere appendix to it. * See Irenæus Adverf. Hæref, and Walch's Hift. Ecclef. ch. i. fets. ii. v. and viii. |