with the Let there "intrusted with the ministry of Jesus Christ, who was "Father before all ages, and appeared in the end to us. "be nothing that may be able to make a division among you; but "be ye united to your bishop, and those who preside over you, to "be your pattern and direction in the way to immortality." Sect. "7. As, therefore, the Lord did nothing without the Father "being united to him; neither by himself, nor yet by his apostles; "so neither do ye any thing without your bishop and presbyters: "Neither endeavour to let any thing appear rational to yourselves "C apart; but being come together into the same place, have one common prayer, one supplication, one mind; one hope, in "charity, and in joy undefiled. There is one Lord Jesus Christ, "than whom nothing is better. Wherefore come ye all together 66 as unto one temple of God; as to one altar; as to one Jesus "Christ; who proceeded from one Father, and exists in one, and ❝is returned to one.” Epistle to the Trallians. Sect. 2. "Whereas ye are subject "to your bishop as to Jesus Christ, ye appear to me to live not "after the manner of men, but according to Jesus Christ; who "died for us, that so believing in his death, ye might escape death. "It is therefore necessary, that, as ye do, so without your bishop, "you should do nothing. Also be ye subject to your presbyters, as to the apostles of Jesus Christ our hope, in whom if we walk, " we shall be found in him. The deacons, also, as being the "ministers of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, must by all means "please all." Sect. 7. "Wherefore guard yourselves against "such persons. And that you will do, if you are not puffed up; "but continue inseparable from Jesus Christ our God, and from "your bishop, and from the command of the apostles. He that is "within the altar is pure; but he that is without, that is, that does "any thing without the bishop, and presbyters, and deacons, is not "pure in his conscience." The epistle to the church at Smyrna. Sect. 8. "See that ye "all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ, the Father; and the "presbytery as the apostles: and reverence the deacons as the "command of God. Let no man do any thing of what belongs to "the church separately from the bishop. Let that Eucharist "be "looked upon as well established, which is either offered by the 66 bishop, or by him to whom the bishop has given his consent. "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people also be : (6 as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic church. It is not "lawful, without the bishop, either to baptize, or to celebrate the "holy communion. But whatsoever he shall approve of, that is "also pleasing to God; that so whatever is done, may be sure "and well done." Sect. 12. "I salute your very worthy bishop, "and your venerable presbytery, and your deacons, my fellow "servants; and all of you in general, and every one in particular, "in the name of Jesus Christ." Epistle to Polycarp. "Ignatius who is called Theophorus, to "Polycarp, bishop of the church which is at Smyrna; their "overseer, but rather himself overlooked by God the Father, and "the Lord Jesus Christ: all happiness! Sect. 1. "Maintain thy place with all care, both of flesh and spirit: Make it thy endea። vour to preserve unity, than which nothing is better. Speak to "every one as God shall enable thee." Sect. 4. "Let not the "widows be neglected: be thou, after God, their guardian. Let "nothing be done without thy knowledge and consent: neither do "thou any thing but according to the will of God; as also thou "dost with all constancy. Let your assemblies be more full: inquire "into all by name: overlook not the men nor maid servants; neither "let them be puffed up, but rather let them be more subject to the "glory of God, that they may obtain from him a better liberty." Sect. 5. "It becomes all such as are married, whether men or 66 women, to come together with the consent of the bishop; that so "their marriage may be according to godliness, and not in lust." Sect. 6. "Hearken unto the bishop, that God also may hearken "unto you. My soul be security for them that submit to their "bishop, with their presbyters and deacons." These are the passages in the epistles of Ignatius, which episcopal writers have triumphantly quoted, as beyond all doubt establishing their claims. Nothing stronger or more decisive is pretended to be found in these far famed relics of antiquity. Now I ask you, my brethren, whether there is in these extracts, a sentence that can serve their purpose?-Let me again remind you, that they plead, not for such bishops as we acknowledge, that is, pastors of single congregations, each furnished with elders and. deacons, to assist in the discharge of parochial duties. On the contrary, they plead for diocesan bishops, as a distinct and superior order of clergy, who alone are invested with the right to govern the church, to ordain, and to confirm. But is there a single hint in these extracts which looks as if the bishops mentioned in them were of a distinct and superior order? Is there a single word said about the powers of ordaining and confirming being appropriated to these bishops? Not a syllable that has the most distant resemblance to any thing of this kind is to be found in all the epistles before us. On the contrary, it is evident 1. That the bishop so frequently mentioned by this venerable father, is only a parochial bishop, or in other words, the pastor of a single congregation. The church of which this bishop has the care is represented, throughout the epistles, as coming together to one place; as worshipping in one assembly; as having one altar, or communion table; as eating of one loaf; having one prayer, and, in short, uniting in all the acts of solemn worship. But all this can only apply to a single congregation. Again, the bishop here spoken of, is represented as present with his flock whenever they come together; as conducting their prayers, and presiding in all their public service; as the only person who was authorized, in ordinary cases, to administer baptism and the Lord's supper; as the person by whom all marriages were celebrated; and whose duty it was to be personally acquainted with all his flock; to take notice, with his own eye, of those who were absent from public worship; to attend to the widows and the poor of his congregation; to seek out all by name, and not to overlook even the men and maid-servants living in his parish. I appeal to your candour, my brethren, whether these representations and directions can be reasonably applied to any other officer than the pastor of a single church? 2. It is equally evident, that the presbyters and presbytery so frequently mentioned in the foregoing extracts, together with the deacons, refer to officers which, in the days of Ignatius, belonged, like the bishop, to each particular church. Most of the epistles of this father are directed to particular churches; and in every case, Accordingly Dr. (afterwards Bishop) Stilling fleet declares—“ Of all "the thirty-five testimonies produced out of Ignatius his epistles, for "episcopacy, I can meet with but one which is brought to prove the least "semblance of an institution of Christ for episcopacy, and, if I be not "much deceived, the sense of that place is clearly mistaken." Irenicum. we find each church furnished with a bishop, a presbytery, and deacons. But what kind of officers were these presbyters? The friends of prelacy, without hesitation, answer, they were the inferior clergy, who ministered to the several congregations belonging to each of the dioceses mentioned in these epistles.; an order of clergy subject to the bishop, empowered to preach, baptize, and administer the Lord's Supper; but having no power to ordain or confirm. But all this is said without the smallest evidence. On the contrary, the presbyters or presbytery are represented as always present, with the bishop and his congregation, when assembled ; as bearing a relation to the same flock equally close and inseparable with its pastor; and as being equally necessary in order to a regular and valid transaction of its affairs. In short, to every altar, or communion table, there was one presbytery, as well as one bishop. To suppose then that these presbyters were the parish priests, or rectors of different congregations, within the diocese to which they belonged, is to disregard every part of the representation which is given respecting them. No; the only rational and probable construction of the language of Ignatius is, that each of the particular churches to which he wrote, besides its pastor and deacons, was furnished with a bench of elders or presbyters, some of them, probably, ordained to the work of the ministry,* and therefore empowered to teach and administer ordinances, as well as rule; and others empowered to rule only. The whole strain of these epistles, then, may be considered as descriptive of Presbyterian government. They exhibit a number of particular churches, each furnished with a bishop or pastor, and also with elders and deacons, to whose respective ministrations every private member is exhorted, as long as they are regular, implicitly to submit.† * I say some of these Elders were probably ordained to the work of the ministry, and of course, empowered to preach and administer ordinances: But this is not certain. They might all have been ruling elders for aught that appears to the contrary. For in all these epistles, it is no where said that they either preached or dispensed the sacraments. It cannot be shown then, that Ignatius, by his presbyters and presbytery, or eldership, means any thing else than a bench of ruling elders in each church. Every regularly organized Presbyterian church has a bishop, elders, and deacons. Of the bench of elders, the bishop is the standing president or moderator. Sometimes, where a congregation is large, it has two or I have been thus particular in attending to the testimony of Ignatius, because the advocates of prelacy have always considered him as more decidedly in their favour than any other father, and have contended for the genuineness of his writings 'with as much zeal as if the cause of episcopacy were involved in their fate. But you will perceive that these writings, when impartially examined, instead of affording aid to that cause, furnish decisive testimony against it. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, a city of Asia, is said to have been "an hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp." He flourished about the year 110 or 115. Some fragments of his writings have been preserved. Out of these, the following passage is the only one that I have been able to find, that has any relation to the subject under debate. It is cited by Eusebius, in his Ecclesiastical History, lib. iii. cap. 39. "I shall not think it grievous to set down in writing, with my "interpretations, the things which I have learned of the presbyters, " and remember as yet very well, being fully certified of their truth. "If I met any where with one who had conversed with the “presbyters, I inquired after the sayings of the presbyters; what "Andrew, what Peter, what Philip, what Thomas, or James had "said; what John, or Matthew, or any other disciples of the more bishops, united in the pastoral charge, and having, in all respects an official equality. When this is the case, each of the bishops is president or moderator of the eldership in turn. In some Presbyterian churches, the bishop, instead of having one or more colleagues, of equal authority and power with himself, has an assistant or assistants. These assistants, though clothed with the whole ministerial character, and capable, without any other ordination, of becoming pastors themselves; yet as long as they remain in this situation, they bear a relation to the bishop similar to that which curates bear to the rector, in some episcopal churches; and of course, cannot regularly baptize or administer the Lord's Supper without the concurrence of the bishop. Ignatius, therefore, could scarcely give a more perfect representation than he does of Presbteyrian government. And if a modern Presbyterian were about to speak of the officers of his church, and were to use the Greek language as Ignatius did, he would almost necessarily say as he did, Entoninos, πρεσβύτεροι και διακονοι. So perfectly futile is the allegation that this language is decisive in support of prelacy! It is absolutely in perfect coincidence with our system. N |