Robinson's "Apology," 343. Analysis and Extracts-The visible "A True Description, out of the Word of God, of the Visible Church.” 1589. Written, probably, by Clyfton or Smyth, the predeces- sors of John Robinson in the church which finally emigrated to Rev. John Robinson's Answer to Joseph Hall, showing the grounds on which the separation was made from the Church of England, ERRATA. Those who know the extreme difficulty-not to say impossibili- 13,"Arkheim INTRODUCTION. IN the following pages it is proposed to trace the history of Congregationalism from about A. D. 250 to the present time. This volume may, therefore, be considered as a continuation of "A View of Congregationalism," a work submitted to the public a few months since; in which the principles, doctrines, practice, and early history, together with some of the supposed advantages of Congregationalism were briefly detailed. Those who have read that work, need not be told what are the peculiarities of this system of church government: but, as this volume may fall into the hands of some persons who are not acquainted with our denominational peculiarities, it may be desirable to enumerate the leading principles and doctrines of Congregationalism. THE PRINCIPLES may be thus stated :-The Scriptures are an infallible guide to the essentials of church order and discipline.-A Christian church is a voluntary association of persons professing repentance for sin and faith in Jesus Christ, united together by a solemn covenant for the worship of God and the celebration of religious ordinances.— This company should ordinarily consist of no more than can conveniently and statedly meet together for religious pur poses. To this assembly of professing Christians, united by a covenant, and statedly meeting for church purposes, all executive ecclesiastical or church power is intrusted by Jesus Christ, the great Head of the Church. THE MOST IMPORTANT DOCTRINES of this system are these:-The Scriptures recognize but two orders of permanent church officers, viz. Elders (sometimes called pastors, overseers, or bishops) and Deacons.-There should be an entire ecclesiastical equality among all Christian elders, pastors, overseers or bishops.-Councils, consisting of pastors and lay delegates from the churches, have no juridical authority; being simply advisory or suasory bodies.-Congregational churches, though independent of each other so far as "their own procedure in worship, as well as discipline" is concerned, yet should hold themselves ready to give account to sister churches of their faith and religious practices. Such are the prominent outlines of the denomination whose history we are now to consider. Such, we suppose, was the polity of the churches founded by Christ and his apostles, and for more than two hundred years substantially retained by all Christendom. The proof of this, furnished by the Scriptures, the Apostolic Fathers, and the testimony of learned men of different denominations, will be found in the work already alluded to-"A View of Congregation. alism"-and need not be here recapitulated. This simple and perfect system of church order, drawn in outline by Christ, and filled up in detail by his inspired apostles, was gradually defaced and deformed by the pride and ambition of the clergy, aided by the inattention of the churches to their Christian rights and privileges; and, in lieu of it, the complicated and corrupt system of Antichrist was introduced, with its pope and cardinals, its archbishops and bishops, its arch-presbyters and presbyters, its archdeacons and deacons-to say nothing of the sub-deacons, and acolythi, and ostiarii, and lectors, and exorcists, and copiatae-all whom were more or less essential to the perfection of that system of church order, and government, and worship, which was foisted upon the world as alone true and infallible.* Between the order of Christ's house, and that of Antichrist's, there is an immense difference ;—indeed, there is no resemblance whatever. And the inquiry may very naturally arise, How could a change, so entire, be wrought in the polity of the churches? Some have urged this question as a capital objection to the belief, that Congregationalism was, for substance, the system of apostolical church government. If it was, say they, how could such a change be brought about? And why were not these encroachments protested against and resisted? I expect to show in the body of this work, that these encroachments were protested against and resisted, even unto * Some idea of the early corruption of the churches, and of the cumbersome and unscriptural machinery which was introduced into them, may be formed from the account which is given us of the church at Rome, about the middle of the third century. Cornelius, bishop of Rome, writing to Fabius, bishop of Antioch, gives the following list of his clergy, etc. "There are six and forty priests, seven deacons, seven sub-deacons, two and forty acholites [a sort of waiter to the bishop], two and fifty exorcists [persons employed to expel evil spirits], and readers [i. e. of the Scriptures, in public worship] with porters." All these were subject to one bishop, and were regarded as necessary to a single church of the highest rank and dignity.-See Eusebius' Ecc. Hist. Lib. VI. Chap. 42, or Milner, Cent. III. Chap. 9. The celebrated Episcopal writer, Stillingfleet, takes this ground in his "Unreasonableness of Separation."-See Owen's answer to him. blood. In this Introduction, I propose to speak, very briefly, of the manner in which this change in the polity of the churches was introduced. I am disposed to undertake this, from the conviction that this survey will forcibly illustrate the importance of holding fast the great principles of apostolic church order, while it will prepare the reader for the historical details which may follow in the sequel. It has already been intimated, that the pride and ambition of the clergy and the carelessness of the people were the main springs in the machinery which overturned the apostolic order and discipline of the Christian churches. 66 This machinery began its operations at a very early period; yea, even before the apostles were in their graves. Paul doubtless anticipated the changes, which have since taken place in the order of the churches, when he said to the elders of the church of Ephesus: "I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."-Acts 20: 29. John experienced the opposition of one of these "wolves," in the person of Diotrephes; who so loved to have the preeminence" over the church of which he was pastor, that he rejected even the apostolic authority of John himself. "I wrote unto the church," or, I would have written-says John to the beloved Gaius-" but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not."* Clement, “ the almost apostle," confirms the belief, that the apostles anticipated the workings of ambition among the clergy, when he says: "Our apostles knew by our Lord Jesus Christ, that there should contentions arise upon the account of the ministry," or, "about the name of the bishoprick," or, episcopacy itself. These contentions about the episcopal officeor, perhaps, about that presidency among the elders and * III Ep. John, 9th v. See also McKnight, in loc. + Clement's Epistle to the Corinthians, § 44. |