THE CHURCH MEMBER'S MANUAL, OF ECCLESIASTICAL PRINCIPLES, DOCTRINE, PRESENTING A SYSTEMATIC VIEW OF THE STRUCTURE, POLITY, DOCTRINES, AND PRACTICES CHRISTIAN CHURCHES, AS TAUGHT IN THE SCRIPTURES. OF BY WILLIAM CROWELL, AUTHOR OF "THE CHURCH MEMBER'S HAND BOOK." “For one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren;--And are built upon the foundation WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY BY HENRY J. RIPLEY, D.D., PROFESSOr of sacrED RHEToric and PASTORAL DUTIES IN THE NEWTON Bx 6331 .ca5 1857 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847, by WILLIAM CROWELL, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. AMONG the recollections most sweet and mournful to the writer, are the little incidents of his last meeting with the lamented Knowles. It was the closing day of our last Winter Term at the Newton Theological Institution. A six weeks' vacation, to be followed by a brief Summer Term, was all that remained to us, before our final separation for the toils of the Christian Ministry. The exercises of the hour ended, we lingered a moment around our beloved teacher. He had spoken to us of a particular branch of Pastoral Duty. Conversation having turned on the topic of the lecture, he who now writes, remarked, that a treatise on our church order and discipline, for the use of young ministers and church-members, was much needed. Other members of the class confirmed the opinion, inquiring where such a guide could be found; when he modestly said, as we hoped he would,-that he had such a work in preparation, which might be expected in a few months. Gratified with this intelligence we separated, with his warmest wishes for our welfare till we should meet again. But alas!We did meet, when early summer had decked that hallowed spot with beauty, a sad and stricken class, to pour our tears on his freshly covered grave. His manuscript was placed in the hands of judicious brethren,—the intimate friends of its author,-who after careful perusal decided that to publish it would be an injustice to his memory. It was a first hasty draught, and lacked the finishing touches of his grace ful pen. When, by the providence of God, it fell to my lot to be the conductor of a public religious journal, the want of such a book became still more manifest. A few articles, hastily prepared for the CHRISTIAN WATCHMAN and other periodicals, having met with unexpected favor, I resolved to study thoroughly the principles of church polity for my own benefit. The task was so pleasant, and the materials for a book so abundant, that a few hints from my brethren, added to what seemed an inward conviction of duty, were sufficient to convince me that at some distant day the results might be given to the public. At my request, Mrs. Knowles readily placed the manuscript of her late husband in my hands, with liberty to make such use of it as I judged proper. His plan was found to be very different from mine; but his sound judgment and correct taste, his catholic spirit and practical wisdom as a pastor, qualified him in an eminent degree to give good counsel for the government of churches; and his judicious remarks have rendered me valuable assistance in preparing the Third Part of this work. That the result will be as satisfactory to others as the labor has been pleasant and useful to myself, is too much to expect. My post of duty made me an involuntary spectator of the assaults on our church principles with which the organs of various ecclesiastical bodies were teeming; while the evils arising from the misapplication of those principles were equally mẩnifest. The partisans of prelacy, apostolic succession, |