thority to us. But principles, expressed by precept or illustrated by example, in the scriptures, are still in full force, and should receive the unqualified assent and obedience of men. The rights and duties of christians, of ministers, and of churches, are the same in every age, however customs and forms may change.

notes.

To accomplish this object, it is proposed to find out, and set in order, in as brief space as the nature of the subject will admit, the principles of the SCRIPTURAL CHURCH POLITY; and, as far as it is possible, to pursue this investigation without regard to the views or the practices of any existing sect. The discussion will be purely scriptural. At the same time we have no doubt that the principles here brought to view prevailed substantially in the churches through the two centuries which succeeded the age of the apostles. To illustrate this and other collateral points, a few brief testimonies from early christian writers, and ecclesiastical historians of undisputed scholarship and candor, will be presented in The lessons of history are of great value in tracing corruptions to their origin, and pointing out the sources of danger to the churches, whenever they can be clearly ascertained and correctly understood. Yet it must be remembered that we do not rely on ecclesiastical history, even to furnish a basis for interpreting and applying the principles revealed in the scriptures. We rely on the Bible alone, interpreted according to the known laws of language. The early christian writers are often quoted in such a manner as to deceive, and thus to serve a bad cause; for the criticism of ancient writers is a distinct science, and even the learned are liable to be deceived by the extensive forgeries of those early days, and the pious frauds which were perpetrated by monks and other papal writers to support the errors of papacy.

In conducting this investigation, the presumptive argument is sometimes introduced. By this is meant the reasons for presuming a proposition to be true, irrespective of any positive arguments adduced in support of it. This presumptive argument must in all cases be refuted, or shown to be groundless, before any other arguments can avail to prove the prop

osition untrue. For instance, men have a natural right to choose their civil rulers; and the presumptive argument is, that they have also the right to choose their spiritual rulers, until it is proved that the scriptures teach the opposite doctrine. They have a natural right to choose their scientific teachers; the presumptive argument is valid and good that they also have the right to choose their religious teachers, until it is proved that the scriptures have forbidden it. All societies have a natural right to admit and exclude members, by a vote of the body, according to their established customs, rules, or laws; the presumptive argument is that churches have the same right. The opposite cannot be proved by showing that the scriptures do not expressly give this right, it must be shown that they expressly take it away. And so, generally, where the teaching of nature is clear, and the scriptures teach nothing to the contrary, the presumptive argument is good.

CHAPTER I.

PRINCIPLES FUNDAMENTAL TO THE EXISTENCE OF A CHURCH.

Says the learned Richard Hooker, "The mixture of those things by speech which by nature are divided, is the mother of all error. To take away, therefore, that error which confusion breedeth, distinction is requisite."

There are two forms of extended visible unions among men which are of divine appointment; civil governments, and christian churches. The first grow up out of the social nature, the physical weakness, and general selfishness of mankind. However small their number, or extensive their domain, human beings naturally desire to form themselves into compact communities; their dependent condition and varying capacities render mutual protection, assistance, and division of labor, needful; while their selfish propensities, and defective moral perceptions, absolutely require government and laws, sustained by sufficient sanctions, to preserve

them from each other's rapacity, and political society from anarchy.

Christian churches would, on the contrary, as naturally spring from the purified social nature, the spiritual weakness, the brotherly love, and the holy benevolence of renewed men. Their social feelings, transformed by the Spirit of God, and elevated by the love of Christ far above the promptings of natural affection, attract them powerfully towards each other, and repel the companionship of worldly men; conscious of great imperfection, of exposure to the dangers of error and sin, they seek each other's watchcare, admonition, and counsel; while the new, heaven-born passion which animates their hearts, of love to their Saviour, and for his sake, to the souls whom he died to save, leads them to combine their wisdom and strength to honor their Master by doing good to their fellow-men. Mutual protection against other men, and mutual temporal assistance in any form, do not belong to the nature or the design of a church. Its origin and its objects are purely spiritual, self-sacrificing, and benevolent.

one is

The principles, therefore, on which the existence of churches depend, necessarily differ widely from those of civil government. The origin, nature, objects, materials, and structure of one of these institutions are all diverse from those of the other. One is temporal, the other spiritual · territorial, the other local one is to protect the rights of persons and property, the other to train souls for heaven. Citizenship in the one depends on the place and circumstances of natural birth, membership in the other is for those only who are born of the Spirit. One is adapted to the wants of all men in the world, the other only to men chosen out of the world." One must enforce submission to laws by pains and penalties, the other has no need nor right to use them. A church is a voluntary society in one sense, that all its members became so from choice; civil government is not voluntary in this sense. Men are born, not into a church, but into the world; and usually into some civil society or state; a circumstance which depends on boundary

lines, but no national, diocesan, nor parish boundaries nor laws, can make them members of a christian church. This relation depends not on the circumstances of birth, such as country, parentage, or pedigree, but on specific elements of character, and free, intelligent choice. Had these important and very obvious distinctions between civil governments and christian churches always been kept in view, many profound and eloquent fallacies which have been written on the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity might have been spared. In order rightly to understand those laws, and their application, we must first consider who are the true and proper subjects of them. The brute forces of nature, or the animal tribes, are scarcely less adapted to be the subjects of municipal law, than are unconverted men to be the subjects of those laws under which Christ has placed his churches. The laws of Christianity are for men actuated by christian principle. When a church undertakes to extend its laws over others it must adopt force, and make use of pains and penalties — the sanctions of civil government to secure obedience, and then it ceases to be a church, and becomes an odious, and usually a very oppressive, worldly institution.

Let us now, with deep humility and prayerfulness, open the Inspired Volume to ascertain the true elementary principles which are essential to the being of a christian church. In doing which, we must, first, settle the scriptural meaning and application of that term; second, ascertain what sort of persons are proper members; third, consider the working of the divine energy in preparing and uniting these materials; and fourth, the constituting act by which they become a church. And may the Spirit of all grace be our guide, that we may understand the truth clearly, and receive it in meekness and in love.

*

SECT. 1. Origin and Meaning of the word CHURCH.

*

The English word church was probably derived from a

Greek, zviazov; Saxon, circe; German, kirche; Scottish, kirk. Its Greek origin is inferred from the fact that it is found in all the German dialects, as well as in the Swedish, Danish, Polish, Russian, and Bohemian.

Greek word which signifies belonging to the Lord.* It is not used in the English version of the Old Testament, but often in the New, as a translation of the Greek word ecclesia; the primary meaning of which is, an assembly, or a congregation, called together for any purpose. This word occurs three times in Acts 19: where it is used to designate the tumultuous gathering at Ephesus, and is translated assembly. In Acts 7: 38, it is translated by the word church, where it clearly refers to the whole body of the Israelites. "This is he that was with the church, [ecclesia, congregation,] in the wilderness. But with these exceptions and a very few others, ecclesia is uniformly translated church, in the New Testament.†

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* *

likewise

The prevailing use of the word is to denote a company of christians. "At that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem. "Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers." 'Unto the church of God which was at Corinth." 'If the whole church be come together into one place." "Greet Priscilla and Aquilla, the church that is in their house. "Nymphas, and the church which is in his house." "The churches throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria." "As I teach every where in every church.” These are but specimens of the ordinary use of the word. Its primary meaning is indicated by its formation from two words signifying to call

* With the article prefixed thus, tò zuqiazòr, it was used by the early christian writers to signify a temple or house of the Lord, i. e. the Lord Christ. In Rev. 1: 10, this adjective in the feminine form, in connection with the Greek word day, zuqiazy nuɛga, is translated Lord's Day, i. e. Christ's Day, in distinction from the Jewish Sabbath. Some derive zugiazov from zugios and oxos, signifying the household or family of the Lord.

The word izzinoía, from which comes the English word ecclesiastical, occurs a few times in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, as a translation of the Hebrew, though that word and, which often occur, and in the English version are rendered congregation, assembly, are usually translated in the Septuagint by the Greek word synagogue, i. e. a coming together.