A view of the organization and order of the primitive church: containing a scriptural plan of the Apostolic Church; with a historical outline of the church to the end of the second century: to which is added, the Apostolic succession, connecting it with the church of the present day

Front matter

A

VIEW

OF THE

Chapter II

Nature of evidence — rules of evidence, - - - - - -22

CHAPTER ni.

Mode of interpreting' Scripture — points of inquiry, - - - - 28

CHAPTER rv.

Nature of the Church — one fold— one body, with many members, but one head — twofold nature, militant and triumphant, - - - 30

CHAPTER V.

Who composed the Apostolic Church 1 — Baptism — mode of. — Meaning of bapto and haptizo, in Dictionaries — among the Greeks — in the Bible. — Scripture usage and construction, - - - - 42

CHAPTER VI.

Scriptural allusions to baptism, Rom. vi. 4 ; Col. ii. 12 ; Acts viii. 38 ; Mat. iii. 16. — Usage of Primitive Christians. — Barnabas, Hermas, Justin, Tertulhan, 52

CHAPTER VII.

Subjects of baptism— Scripture account of, ti9

6 CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VIII.

Subjects of baptism — Testimony of Fathers on — ^Hermas, Justin, Irenaeus, Tertullian, ---- .--.-76

CHAPTER IX.

Incidental proof— Practice of Oriental Churches — Armenian, Syro- Jacobite, Coptic, Abyssinian, Syro-Chaldean, Greek. — Incidental proof from Celtic and Saxon languages, ----- 83

CHAPTER X.

Requisites of baptism. — Creeds — from Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Lucian, Cyril — the Church of Alexandria, Antioch, Rome, the Apostolical Constitutions, Nice, Constantinople, - - - - - - - - - -91

CHAPTER XI.

Members of the Church ; — powers — duties. — Liturgies — evidence from Scripture, from the early writers, from ancient Liturgies — Liturgy of the Church of Antioch, of Cesarea, Constantinople, Alexandria, Ephesus, Gall, Rome, Africa, Spain, Britain, Milan — Agreement of Liturgies, Baptismal Liturgies, necessity of forms. — Other powers and duties. — Mutual watch, discipline, - - - 98

CHAPTER XII.

Officers of the Church, 141

CHAPTER XIII.

Deacons — were officers and ministers of the Church — qualifications, mode of making, powers and duties, ------ 142

CHAPTER XIV.

Presbyter-bishops — names in the Primitive Church — ^whether called the same by the early writers — officers and ministers, qualifications, mode of making, powers and duties, 150

CHAPTER XV.

Apostles. — Apostolic Commission — powers granted by it, recited in it, rule of construing it. — Power exercised under it — of conferring Apostolic authority — Titus, Timothy, Apostleship of Epaphroditus. — Characteristics of Apostleship. — Of Ordination — Timothy, Paul and Barnabas — opinion of Jerome — practice at Alexandria — mistake

CONTENTS. 7

of Eutychius — of confirmation — of discipline — of Presbyters and Deacons, and of the laity — of presiding in Councils. — One Apostle or Apostolic Bishop in every Church, with many Presbjrters and Deacons.— Crete, Ephesus, Philippi — seven Churches of Asia — Colosse. — Testiraon)'^ of antiquity, the testimony of the Epistle to the Ephesians. — Who was Bishop of Philippi when Polycarp wrote his Epistle 1 — Each had a Umited jurisdiction, 169

CHAPTER XVI.

The organization of the Apostolic Church designed to be permanent, 237

CHAPTER XVII.

Ministry considered of divine appointment, in the second century, - 243

CHAPTER XVIII.

Bishops considered as successors of the Apostles in the government of the Churches, in the second century, 246

CHAPTER XIX.

Historical characteristics of the first and second century, with a brief view of ecclesiastical technology in each, - ... - 249

CHAPTER XX.

One Bishop in a Church, in the second century, but many inferior clergy, 257

CHAPTER XXL Independence of Bishops — Existence of Primates or Metropolitans, - 260

CHAPTER XXII.

Other customs relating to Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons, Laymen — Fasts — weekly, annual. — Festivals — the Resurrection, Whitsunday, Christmas, Epiphany, Saints' days. Stated hours of Prayer, Vestments, SiirpUce, Celibacy, 263

CHAPTER XXIII.

Succession of Bishops — Primitive principles and practice in regard to. — Succession of the four great Patriarchal Sees, Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, 280

CHAPTER XXrV.

Succession of the Church of England— difierence between Apostolic

8 CONTENTS.

succession and Episcopal government. — English succession to Ej^hesus — Bishops of Lyons, of Aries — Archbishops of Canterbury, to Cranmer. — Consecrators of the Archbishops since the Reformation.— Succession from Jerusalem — Archbishops of London — Patriarchs of Jerusalem — Bishops of St. David'.s, of Llandafl^— Archbishops of York, 285

CHAPTER XXV.

List of Scottish succession — succession of the American Church. — Archbishops of Armagh, 332

CHAPTER XXVI.

Succession of Church of Rome, with the list of Bishops, - - - 345

CHAPTER XXVII.

AUedged breaks in the Apostohc succession. — Saxon Church in the days of Aidan and Finnan. — Pretended excommunication of the English Church, 355

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Independence of British, Saxon, and of the Norman Churches, of the Romish. — Anglo-Norman Churchmen, - - _ . _ 359

CHAPTER XXIX.

The English Reformation canonical — the act of both clergy and laity. — Romish schism in England. — AUedged Presbyterianism of the EngUsh Reformers, 381

CHAPTER XXX.

Unity of the Church. — Christianity in the days of the Apostles — in the second century — in the fifth centuiy. — Number of Christians in the fifth century, 397

Appendix, - 405

EPISTLE TO THE READER.

No apology need be offered a^. any time, for an inquiry into tlie subject of this volume : for, next in importance to that of personal holiness^ is the question, How shall that Gospel^ which has produced this holiness in us, he best preserved and perpetuated, that it may produce the like holiness in generations yet to come? Nor is this a duty to be made out by inference alone, for we are expressly commanded, to " walk about Zion, to go round about her ; to tell the towers thereof ; to mark well her bulwarks, to consider her palaces ; that we may tell it to generations following." (Ps. xlviii. 12, 13.) And that the Church which the inspired Apostles, by the direction of the Saviour, and under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, established in the world, will be more likely to preserve and perpetuate the truth, than any other form of organization, must be so self-evident to him who has any just appreciation of the nature and design of the Gospel, that no argument can be necessary to prove it. But though no apology need be made for considering this subject, the reasons for presenting the public with a new work upon a topic that has been so fully and so ably discussed, may not be uninteresting.

The substance of this work was written several years since, under the following circumstances. The author was born and educated in the bosom of the Congregational Church ; 2 and it was not until he had entered upon the duties of a professional life, that the subject of the organization and order of the Church attracted his attention. He then resolved to examine the question thoroughly, according to the soundest principles of legal evidence, and to draw his conclusions as rigidly as he would from books of law, not dreaming of the possibility of its producing a change in his own views on the subject. For this purpose he read the New Testament through, with all the care and attention of which he was capable, and marked every passage that seemed to him to have any bearing upon the organization or order of the Apostolic Church. These he then classified under their appropriate heads, and arranged them according to their several subordinate topics, upon principles detailed in the work itself. The classification thus made, forms the Scriptural evidence contained in this volume, precisely as it was drawn out, except on the single topic of Baptism, not only before the author entered the Ministry, but before he had even conformed to the Episcopal Church. His conclusions, therefore, are to be regarded as those of a layman, who, up to the time of compiling the evidence embodied in this work, had no partialities in favor of Episcopacy ; but whose prejudices, partialities, and supposed interests, were all in opposition to it. In this examination, it was the design of the author, to bring together all the Scriptural evidence ; and thus to develop, A Scriptural Draught of the Apostolic Church. Hence he spent no time in discussing the peculiarities of any existing denomination of Christians, nor has he made any allusion to any of their principles or practices, except as they fell necessarily within the scope of his inquiry. He has thus avoided controversy with all preceding writers, and with all existing sects.

To the Scriptural evidence, thus drawn out, the author has added, A brief Historical view of the Church, to the end of the second century. On this head, he has endeavored to examine and detail all the evidence, afforded by the extant writings of the Primitive Christians, within that period. Indeed, it has been his design, under both heads, to give all the direct evidence there is on this subject, whatever might be its weight; and also, to add such presumptive evidence as bears directly upon the subject under consideration. Consequently, the reader will find that some arguments are very strong, while others are, comparatively, less so. The author's plan required him to notice all the arguments, weak or strong ; and to bring forward all the evidence, direct or indirect, that the whole might be judged of, in connection. And it is in this way, he asks that it may be judged. To enable the reader to do this, with more clearness and certainty, the principles upon which all investigations of this kind must necessarily be conducted, have been stated and explained. It is in this way alone, we can ever arrive at any certain conclusions ; and it is in this way alone, the author desires his book may be read.

Those, therefore, who read this volume, will not do either the subject or the author justice, unless the whole be judged of together. No well grounded inference can be drawn in any other way ; and no candid man, who desires to come to a knowledge of the truth, and who is willing to follow wherever that leads, should ever attempt the investigation upon any other principles. But to those especially, who have been educated in other modes of thinking, does he feel bound to say, that an effort should be made, to lay aside all prejudice, and to rise above that bias of opinion and feeling, which education, habit, and denominational partialities wdll always produce. These are often mistaken for argument, even by many intelligent and well meaning persons ; and hence, should be carefully guarded against. And the author flatters himself, that every one may read this book, without finding his Church defamed, or his motives impugned ; whatever he may think of the conclusions drawn.

To these topics, the author has added a few chapters on other subjects, growing out of the preceding, which seemed necessary to give application to the principles discussed, and the conclusions drawn. Without these, it was impossible to connect the Church of the present day, with the Church in the times of the Apostles. And unless this was done, one great end of our inquiry would be lost. These chapters, the author flatters himself, will often be found of peculiar service to Churchmen, under a great variety of circumstances ; and he hopes they will not be devoid of interest to others.

Perhaps the author ought also to mention, that some of the topics treated of, in this volume, have been discussed by him, since his connection with the public press, in much the same manner as on the following pages. This is especially the case with the subject of Baptism ; and it has been a source of no small satisfaction to him, that these discussions have been found so generall)^ acceptable, and so entirely conclusive, that their re-publication has been repeatedly called for, from a great variety of sources. Several other points of difference among Christians, have been discussed with those who dissent from the conclusions drawn in this book. In this way the author has been rendered familiar with the various claims, interpretations, and expositions of opposing parties, and been able to form a better judgment of the soundness of his reasoning. But he has not changed any thing to avoid any conclusion drawn by others, unless sound and fair argument seemed to require it. And then he has done so, without any regard to the question of how it would affect the claims of any sect, party, or Church. His object has been to make a full and fair view of all the evidence, and to leave the intelligent and candid reader to draw his own inferences, and to make his own application.

In conclusion, the author would remark, that he neither courts nor deprecates criticism. But he may be permitted to say to those who differ from him, that, if they attempt either to review, or reply to him, they ought to show, (1,) that the principles he has proceeded upon are unsound ; or, (2,) that he has departed from those principles in the investigation ; or, (3,) that the mass of evidence has been misrepresented or misapplied. It will not be enough for them to show, that he may have been mistaken on some points, even could that be done, if the principles on which he has proceeded are sound. Or, (4,) they ought to show that he has omitted to mention other important proof, sufficient to outweigh all the evidence adduced. Unless one of these four points can be shown, the conclusions drawn in this volume, must be received as proved. If the author has failed upon any one of these points, he will be much obliged to those who will point it out to him, in that spirit of kindness and charity, with which this work is presented to the public. Truth has in some instances required the author to state facts that will not be acceptable to all ; but he has endeavored to do it in the way that would be the least offensive to such brethren as dissent from him.

In order to put it into the power of every one who desires to test the accuracy of the facts stated in this volume, as well as the soundness of the conclusions drawn from the facts, the author has given full and careful references to his authorities, and, as far as possible, to the original authorities. He has thus put it into the power of those who wish to subject his aro-ument to the most rigid scrutiny, with the least possible labor, while at the same time it furnishes the reader with a sort of guaranty, that the facts are fairly stated, on sufficient authority. The author also trusts, that in addition to other advantages which may be derived from this volume, it will be found a general index to the authors from whom all facts and arguments on this subject must be drawn.

That those who are unwilling to lay aside the prejudices of early education ; or who are not resolute enough to ask un- 2* hesitatingly, " What is truth ?" nor bold enough to dare fearlessly to follow it ; or who are unwilling to relinquish the pride of opinion or the interest of place ; that those W'ill be convinced, is not expected. But it is hoped, that the sincere inquirer after truth will find essential aid in this volume ; and that he who is anxiously seeking to know, What is that Church which hath been declared to be " the body of Christ ?" will be helped forward in his investigation. That it may do this ; and also tend to lead " those who profess and call themselves Christians, into the way of truth, and to hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life," — until the whole of God's elect shall be " knit together in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of his Son our Lord," is the hearty praver of

THE AUTHOR.

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST

Fathers of the first and second centuries, quoted in this work.

A. D.

83. Clement, Bishop of Rome. He wrote an Epistle to the Church at Corinth.

90. Barnabas. He wrote one Epistle, which has been preserved. 107. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch. He wrote seven Epistles, to seven different Churches.

107. PoLYCARP, Bishop of Smyrna. He wrote one Epistle to the Philippians.

108. Martyrdom of the blessed Martyr Ignatius Theojjhorus, written by eye-witnesses to his death.

125. Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis. He wrote a work in five books, called the " Interpretation of our Lord's Declarations;" only fragments remain.

150. Hermas. He wrote a work containing four Visions, twelve Commands, and ten Similitudes.

150. Justin Martyr. He wrote two Defenses of Christianity, and a Dialogue with Trypho the Jew.

160. Hegessipus. He wrote Ecclesiastical Memoirs, from the Crucifixion to his own time ; only fragments remain.

168. Circular Epistle of the Church of Smyrna, upon the martyrdom of the holy Poly carp.

170. DiONYSius, Bishop of Corinth. He Avrote several Epistles, which remain only in fragments.

175. Iren^us, Bishop of Lyons, in Gaul. He wrote a work

16 LIST OF FATHERS QUOTED IN THIS WORK.

in five books, entitled, The refutation and overthrow of False Doctrine : which exist only in a Latin translation, and is quoted under the name of Irenmts against Heresy. Also, an Epistle to Florinus ; besides many other works, that have perished.

185. Clement, a Presbyter of Alexandria. He wrote a large number of works. The one called Stromata, has been preserved, and fragments of some others.

195. PoLYCRATEs, Bishop of Ephesus. He wrote some Epistles, which exist only in fragments.

200. Tertullian, a Presbyter of Carthage, whose works are voluminous.

To these we may add the following, to whose works reference has been made, but without regarding them as conclusive authority concerning that early period.

230. Origen.

250. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage.

250. DiONYsius, Bishop of Alexandria.

325. Eusebitjs Pamphilius, Bishop of Cesarea.

330. Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria.

350. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem.

370. Basil, Bishop of Cesarea.

370. Jerome.

370. Gregory, Nazianzen.

370. Gregory, Nyssa.

374. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan.

396. AuGusTiN, Bishop of Hippo.

398. Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople.

412. Isodore, of Pelusium.

423. Theodoret, Bishop of Cyprus.

435. Socrates.

440. SOZOMEN.

590. Gregory, Bishop of Rome. 595. Isodore, of Spain.

VIEW

PRIMITIVE CHURCH

CHAPTER I.

STATE OF THE QUESTION.

From the days of the Lutheran Reformation to the present time, the question, What was the organization and order of the Apostolic Church ?* has excited much discussion and

* The word Church, is used in place of the Greek Ecclesia, which denotes an assembly, legally and properly convened, whether common or religious, signifying either the place where the assembly meets, or the persons assembled. " Ecclesia" was early adopted into the Latin, but employed by the fathers of that Church to denote the assembly, rather than the place of assembhng. Our EngHsh word Church, seems to have been derived from the Greek curiacon, — " pertaining to the Lord," signifying, also, '• a Christian temple," — apparently through the old Gothic. It was probably introduced into Gothic by Ulfilas, Bishop of the Moeso-Goths, in the fourth century, by whom the New Testament was translated into that language. From thence it has spread throughout all the Teutonic languages: Old German, chirihh ; German, kirche ; T)u.\.ch, kerk ; Scottish, A;iVA;; Anglo-Saxon, circ, and cyric ; Icelandic, kyrkia ; Swedish, kyrka ; Danish, kirke ; English, Church. It is also found in the Slavonic languages : Russian, tserkov ; Bohemian, cyrkew ; Lusitanian, zirkiva ; Dalmatian, czrikwa ; Polish, kosciol. The Portuguese igreja, seems also to have been derived from the same root.

18 KIND OF EVIDENCE.

interest among the various religious denominations ; each claiming to be exclusively patterned after the Apostolic model. Among such a variety of opinions, however, it is evident, that all cannot have been so formed ; but this unanimous claim of an Apostolic sanction, is conclusive evidence that all consider it of great importance. A large proportion, indeed, believe the Apostolic practice to be binding on all succeeding generations ; and the few who deny its obligation, show by their constant endeavors to prove their conformity to that model, that they consider its sanction very desirable. Since this subject is deemed by Christians to be one of such magnitude, its consideration cannot fail to be both interesting and useful.

This examination, it should be remembered, is one of pure history, and is to be considered like every other question of that nature. Consequently, we have nothing to do with the supposed tendency of any organization ; nor any thing to do with existing organizations, any further than to compare them with the results, thus obtained.

In this examination, there are, however, two distinct kinds of evidence, wholly independent of each other, and both equally relevant ; — the Scriptures, and the writings of the primitive Christians, usually referred to, by the appellation of THE Fathers. The writings of the Fathers are equally pertinent testimony with the Scriptures, in an inquiry into the organization o^ the pri7nitive Church, when they speak of facts within their own knowledge, provided they were honest men ; and that they are considered honest by all Christendom, is sufficiently proved by the fact, that all Christians have agreed to take their word, as to what constitutes the canon of Scripture. But there are some, at the present time, who deny the relevancy of the testimony of the Fathers ; and who insist that we must confine ourselves entirely to the evidence of Scripture, in attempting to determine the Constitution of the

POINTS TO BE PROVED. 19

Apostolic Church. Out of respect, therefore, to the feelings of those who entertain this opinion, we shall confine our examination entirely to such points as may be made out by Scripture, citing the Fathers merely in confirmation of these, and as proof of what was the Constitution of the Church, in the age immediately succeeding that of the Apostles. And for the same reason, we shall confine ourselves to the time when, it is acknowledged by all, that the Church remained uncorrupt ; that is, to the two first centuries. The full object of our inquiry is, (1,) to ascertain. What is the Scriptural account of the Apostolic Church ? and, (2,) What is the historical account of the primitive Church, to the end of the second century 1

Before we proceed to examine the evidence in the case, we must acquaint ourselves with three things : (1,) The things to he proved ; (2,) The manner of proving them ; and, (3,) The testimony by which they are to be proved. But in every subject which men discuss, or examine, there must be certain things which are assumed, or agreed upon, by all parties. These, like the axioms in mathematics, are the starting points of the argument. Their necessity is self-evident ; for if men do not agree upon certain first principles, they cannot reason together at all.

One of the points thus assumed, or agreed upon in this matter, and which the common sense of every person must approve, is, that the Apostolic history, as contained in the Acts of the Apostles, was written to acquaint us with the fact, that the Gospel was preached, and Churches were formed ; but not to detail the peculiarities of their organization ; — that the Apostolic Epistles were written to confirm the Churches in the faith ; but not to give them a platform of Church organization and order. Hence, we are obliged to infer, as we know the fact to be, that the New Testament gives, in no one place, a detailed account of the organization and order of the Apostolic Church. This point being assumed, it is necessary to

20 CASE ILLUSTRATED.

assume another, before we can proceed at all in the argument ; and that is, that the Apostolic Churches, when fully estabUshed, had a uniform system of organization; and that the Apostles, in their writings, allude to, and speak of that form, with sufficient distinctness, to enable us to determine what it was.

It will be seen from this, that the scriptural evidence on this subject, is, mainly, of that indirect kind, which will render some portions of this examination rather difficult. The precise nature of it may be best illustrated by an example. We will suppose a man, born and educated in one of the South Sea islands, who has grown up without any communication with, or knowledge of, any civilized nation. Put into the hands of such a man, the military correspondence of General Washington, during the American Revolution^ and require him, from that alone, to determine the organization of the American army ; and you would certainly impose upon him a task of no small magnitude. It is true, he would find letters to and from the officers of the army, with numerous accounts of acts performed by various persons ; but nowhere would he find an enumeration of the various ranks and grades of officers ; nowhere a distinct account of the power and duty incident to each ; and for a very satisfactory reason, that both the writers of the letters, and the persons to whom they were written, were perfectly familiar with every rank and grade, with all the power and duty of every office and officer in the army, of which they were speaking.

But the foregoing supposition does not present a parallel case to the one we are to consider, inasmuch as the subject of the supposed letters is the same with the question to be determined. But suppose further, that instead of the military correspondence, this man should receive only the letters written by Washington to such familiar friends, during the same period, as had left the army, and were residing in a remote

NATURE OF PROOF. 21

part of the country, accompanied by a few proclamations, issued by the General to the army. The task of determining the constitution of the army, would now be doubly difficult ; and yet, such a man, under such circumstances, would be situated very much as we are, when attempting to determine the entire Constitution of the Apostolic Church, from Scripture alone. This will be evident upon slight reflection, for it will not be believed for a moment, that General Washington, when writing to men who had been soldiers or officers under him, and who were as familiar with the organization of the army as himself, would enter into a detail of facts, with which he knew them to be perfectly conversant ; nor is there any greater reason for believing, that the Apostles would give a detailed account of the organization and order of the Churches they had established, when writing to the members of those very Churches. The nature of the evidence in the two cases is, therefore, similar ; and what would be proof of the Constitution of the American army, to a South Sea islander, situated as we have supposed, must be proof to us of the Constitution of the Apostolic Church.

Hence the necessity of ascertaining, with as much certainty as possible, the precise nature of the evidence to be considered, that we may be able to confine our attention wholly to questions of history. For this purpose, we shall reduce these fundamental principles to the shape of propositions, that we may be able to refer to them without difficulty.

Propositions. — 1. It is agreed, then, that the Churches planted by the Apostles, when fully established, had a uniform system of organization.

2. That, whatever this form was, it must have been tangible and visible ; known to all the members of the Churches ; and, therefore, could not be mistaken or forgotten.

3. For this reason, the Apostles did not address epistles to the Churches in relation to ecclesiastical organization ; that

22 RULES OF EVIDENCE.

being a subject about which there was no possibility of mistake. But they did address Epistles to the various Churches on matters of faith and doctrine, which not being thus visible and tangible, but depending on recollection and memory for their transmission, were liable to be forgotten or misremembered.

4. These Epistles contain allusions to that organization, sufficiently distinct to enable us to determine what it was.

5. That form only can plead the authority of Apostolic sanction, to which these allusions are all applicable.

CHAPTER II.

RULES OF EVIDENCE.

The truth of the propositions contained in the foregoing Chapter, will not be doubted or denied, by those w^ho give their assent to the correctness of the view we have taken of the subject, and the nature of the evidence by which it is to be determined. Indeed, it is only by supposing them true, that the subject can be discussed at all ; since, if the organization of the Apostolic Churches was not uniform, all inquiry concerning it is useless ; for unless they were uniform, we can not quote an Epistle to one Church, to prove what was the organization of another. Hence, unless we allow this uniformity, the Epistle to the Corinthians would be no evidence of what was the organization of the Church at Ephesus. And so of the rest. And further ; if the Apostolic writings do not allude to that organization, with sufficient distinctness to enable us to determine what' it was, all attempts to ascertain the fact from Scripture, are utterly visionary.

Having ascertained those general principles, upon which

NATURE OF EVIDENCE. 23

all are agreed, and which must, therefore, form the basis of all argument on this subject, we must also establish some rules of evidence, or principles of interpretation, which will enable us to give to each circumstance the precise force it deserves.