JOHN KN O X. "lie who never feared the face (,f man." 1). 173. S ETCHES OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CONTAINING A BRIEF SUMMARY OF ARGUMENTS IN FAVOUR OF ITS PRIMITIVE AND APOSTOLIC CHARACTER AND A VIEW OF I'S PRINCIPLES, ORDER, AND HISTORY, DESIGNED ESPECIALLY FOR THE YOUTH OF THE CHURCH. BY THE REV. J. E. ROCKWELL. PHILADELPHIA: PRESBYTERIAN BOARD OF PUBLICATION, NO. ]334CHESTNUT STREET. Entered accorling to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by A. W. MITCHELL, M. D., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. ONTE T S. PAGI CHAPTER I. Introductory-Design of the work...................... 7 CHAPTER II. The church, visible and invisible-of whom composed................................................ 16 CHAPTER III. The officers and discipline of the church.............. 22 CHAPTER IV'The worship and ordinances of the church........... 30 CHAPTER V. Corruptions of the church................................. 87 CHAPTER VI. j Witnesses for the truth-The Waldenses.............. 49 CHAPTER VII. The primitive. churches of England, Ireland, and Scotland.................................................... 67 CHAPTER VIII. The Reformation............................................ 77 CHAPTER IX. Testimony-from Scripture-The apostolic Fathers -The English Reformers............................ 95 (iii) iv CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. PAOd The Waldensian church.................................... 113 CHAPTER XI. The Protestant church of France...................... 127 CHAPTER XII. The Reformed Dutch church.............................. 189 CHAPTER XIII. The church of Scotland, from the Reformation to the first General Assembly............................ 151 CHAPTER XIV. The church of Scotland-from the first General Assembly to the adoption of the League and Covenant...................................................... 168 CHAPTER XV. The church of Scotland-From the death of Charles Z to the formation of the Free church............. 187 CHAPTER XVI. The Puritans................................................ 205 CHAPTER XVII. The Presbyterian church in Ireland................... 216 CHAPTER XVIII. The American Presbyterian church, from its foundation to the war of the Revolution................ 221 CHAPTER XIX. The American Presbyterian church from the Revolution to the present time.............................. 238 Appendix....................................................... 259 P RE F A CE. TnF, following work, first commenced with the simple hope of rendering more attractive and useful the pages of the Sabbath-school Visitor, where it originally appeared in the form of letters to children, has been carefully re-written, and enlarged by important additions. The design of the writer has been to supply, as far as possible, a want which has been greatly felt, of some suitable history of the Presbyterian Church, to be placed especially in the hands of our youth. He has sought to group together the facts by which that history can be traced up, not simply to the Reformation, but to the Apostolic age, and to the type of a pure and primitive Christianity. He has desired to make familiar to the mind, the rise, progress, struggles, and successes of the great principles of Presbyterianism, and to set forth their influence upon the Church and the world. In addition to the ordinary works of reference, he would acknowledge his indebtedness to the researches 1* (V) Vi PREFACE. of Drs. Smyth and Hodge of our own Church, and Dr. Hetherington of the Church of Scotland, whose valuable contributions to the cause of Presbyterianism have nobly illustrated and defended its order and doctrines. While other denominations are claiming foi themselves the authority of antiquity, and in some instances denying to us even the name and character of a Church of Christ, it is well that our youth should be put on their guard against the fascinations of such assumptions, and made to understand that the principles in which they have been educated, were not first developed at the Reformation, but were the essential elements of the Apostolic Church, and that through all the darkness of Papal night, there were Chris* tian communities who held intrinsically the same order, which, at the Reformation, was resumed in its importantfeatures in every Reformed Church, but that of England. This volume is now sent forth, with the prayer that it may be useful in establishing the minds of our youth, and in leading them to love the distinctive doctrines which form the strength and glory of the Israel of God. J. E. R. CHAPTER T. INTRODUCTORY. TIE design of the following pages is to present an outline of the history and principles of the Presbyterian church, and to set forth in a condensed and yet sufficiently explicit form, the facts whih show its doctrines and order to be primitive and apostolic. It is no part of this purpose to teach that it is the only true church, out of which there is no salvation, or to make invidious comparisons between it and other branches of the family of Christ. A sincere and zealous attachment to the doce trines and order of the church with which we are connected by birth and education, or as the result of our earnest convictions of truth, may exist with the most liberal and enlarged friendship for all who, though differing from us in many of their re. ligious views, still bear the image of Christ. We profess to be only a branch of his family; a part of that great army which, though divided into sectious, has one leader, and is engaged in a conflict (7) 8 SKETCHES OF with sin and error, under one glorious banner. Yet, while no particular denomination of Christians has any claim to be called, by way of eminence the church, it is evident that some one of them approaches nearer than others to the apostolic model, and embodies the general features of the first Christian community. In the gradual departure from the faith once delivered to the saints, which at length assumed the form of Popery, and introduced the " Man of Sin," the church lost its original simplicity and purity, until the Reformation again restored the truths of the gospel to their appropriate place, and threw off the dreadful load of superstition and error that had for ages rested upon the minds of men. At that period, the Protestant church assumed the general features by which it is now distinguished. While in their views of the prominent and cardinal truths of our holy religion, the Reformers were agreed, they differed in regard to external arrangements and forms of government. Those differences still exists and their prominent characteristics are set forth in the names which the various Christian denomina. tions of the world now bear. The Episcopal church maintains an order of prelates, having office and power distinct from the ministry, and superior to it, who alone are able to THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 9 ordain, and to whom is committed the especial oversight and care of all the churches found within their appointed districts. At the Reformation this form of government was only regarded as essential to the perfection of the church, while it was not denied that true churches might exist without it. Since then the idea has been advocated, and widely received, that the order of prelates obtain their power by a direct succession from the apostles, whose representatives they are, and that no ministry can be valid which is not received by their ordination, and that there can be no salvation out of the pale of the church thus organized. Thus, while the articles of faith, as received by that denomination, and faithfully preached by many of its clergy, are purely evangelical, dogmas are maintained by others of the same connection, which if true would abolish the doctrine that we are saved through faith, and blot out the hop:s of multitudes who are leading consistent and holy lives, though they have never been united with that branch of the church of Christ. The Congregationalists wholly differ from these views. They maintain that the ministers of the gospel have equal power and authority, and that the discipline and government of the church is vested in the people forming a particular congre. 10 SKETCHES OP gation, who are independent of all oth(r organizations, and in whom all power originates. The Presbyterian form of government assumes that a particular congregation is only part of the church, to which it is responsible, and that autho. rity hath been vested in its ministers and officers, who constitute its courts, and by whom its discipline is administered. It agrees with Congregational churches in asserting the equality of the ministry, but differs from them in their views of the independency of each congregation. It agrees with the Episcopal church in its maintaining a union of many congregations under one episcopacy, but differs from it in vesting that oversight in the hands of the Presbytery, conposed of several Bishops of equal authority, and not of a prelate of power superior to the rest. This form of government, we sincerely believe, approaches the nearest to that first instituted by the apostles. The Lord Jesus Christ, as the supreme Head of the church, has alone the right and authority to decree its laws, and to institute its ministry. As such a head he appointed special and extraordinary officers, who were first to be witnesses to his death and resurrection, and then to arrange the church in accordance with the great principles he had established. These officers THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 11 were called apostles, who attested the truth of their mission by many signs and miracles which God did through them. They had no successors in the apostolic office. They could have none, in the very nature of the case. When Judas had lost his place as an apostle, by his transgression, and it was deemed essential to keep the number of apostles complete, one was chosen from the number of those who had personally known Christ, and was ordained to be a witness of his resurrection. See Acts i. 22. When these witnesses were all dead, the apostolic office ceased. We are nowhere told that they appointed any successors. They could not. But it was necessary that the church should be instructed and governed. And hence, Presbyters or Elders were appointed, some of whom were to preach, while others were to assist in the government of the church. Thus Paul says to Timothy, " The things that thou hast heard of me, the same commit thou unto faithful men who may be able to teach others also." It was the doctrine of the aposties which was to have a succession, and not their office. The men whom they appointed as officers were Elders. Thus in Acts xiv. 23, it is said, " When they had ordained them Elders in every church." And in Titus i. 5, we read, "For this cause left I thee 12 SKETCHES OF in Crete; that thou shouldst set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain Elders in every city as I had appointed thee." And the apostles gave them counsel and advice only as Presbyters. ThusPeter Peter says Peter v. 1, "The Elders which are among you I exhort, who also am an Elder." These oti(-ers are called by different names, according to the duties laid upon them. The words Bishop and Pastor are applied to those who preach the word, and have an especial watch over the flock, and administer the ordinances of the house of God. Others who rule, but do not preach, are called " helps and governments." Thus in 1 Timothy v. 17, it is said, " Let the elders that rule well be accounted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in word and doctrine." But we nowhere read that any church was under the care of a single Elder, or that one Presbyter was elevated in office above others. The word Bishop is only another expression applied to the office of Elder. It is the translation of the Greek word enttxoxo;f (episcopos), meaning overseer, and from which the word Episcopal is derived. Thus in Acts xx. 17 and 28, we find Paul addressing the Elders as the overseers or Bishops of the flock; not as a distinct order of ministers. They were the elders of the church of Ephesus, THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 13 who both ruled and taught the people of God. Thus in our own church, under its present arrangement, there are two or more Presbyters or Elders, one of whom preaches the word, and administers the ordinances of the gospel, while the others assist him in the government and discipline of the church W- are therefore called Presbyterian. The name has relation to our form of government, and is derived from HIpEav~'po; (Presbuteros), a Greek word signifying an aged person or elder. Our officers have equal power as such; though especial honour is given to those who labour in word and doctrine, as the ministers and pastors of the flock. They are esteemed "very highly for their work's sake," and not because as Bishops they have any higher authority to rule in the church. Hence, in our various courts there is always required an equal number of ministers and ruling elders from each congregation, who have an equal'voice in all their deliberations and decisions, and to them the government and care of the church is committed. Such are the prominent features of the Presbyterian system. We may well love and honour the name. It is derived from an office familiar to the Jewish worshippers. It was the title which the 2 14 SKETCHES OF apostles recognized and bore. It was the name which their successors received, and was the badge of their office, and we adopt it, not because it is brought to us by a dim and uncertain tradition, but is found on the pages of the word of God, whence alone we derive our faith and our worship. And our church has ever struggled again1 error and sin, and battled earnestly for the truth. It has had great and noble men for its soldiers, and has enjoyed abundant tokens of God's blessing and approbation. The Holy Spirit has been largely poured upon it, and its order and doctrines have ever promoted pure religion. Where it has prevailed, there has been most of freed)m, and virtue, and happiness. For this we love and prize it, and as we look upon it, in all its simplicity and beauty, we can sing with the Psalmist, How decent, and how wise, Hlow glorious to behold, Beyond the pomp that charms the eyes, And rites adorned with gold. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 15 CHAPTER II. TIE CHURCH VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE-OF WHOM COMPOSED. THE word church is used in two important senses, in the Confession of Faith, and the distinction therein made is clearly affirmed in the Holy Scriptures. 1. It signifies the whole body of Christ's redeemed people. Thus it is said,' The catholic or universal church, which is invisible, consists of the whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or shall be gathered into one, under Christ, the head thereof; and is the spouse, the body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all." It is of this invisible church that it is written, Eph. v. 25,' Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might present it a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing." This is the most precious and important sense of the word. It will thus be understood and loved, when all sects, and parties, and denominations shall have been forgotten. This is the "whole filmily in heaven and earth," that is named after Christ. It is the 16 SKETCHES OF C general assembly and church of the first-b,)rn, whose names are written in heaven." Many of its members are already with Christ, and see him as he is. Others are still in the world, while myriads yet remain to be gathered in from every nation and tribe. This invisible church embraces those of every name who truly love God, and bear the image of the Saviour. They may belong to no peculiar creed; they may never have had the privileges of the sanctuary; they may be unknown to the world-yot Christ may recognize them as his disciples, ard own them as such in that day when he shall make up his jewels. To become a member of this invisible church "neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." 2. The second sense in which the word church is used, refers to those who profess the Christian religion. Thus, in the Confession of Faith, we read, " The visible church, which is also catholic, or universal, under the gospel (not confined to one nation as before under the law,) consists of all those, throughout the world who profess the true religion, together with their children, and is the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation." THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 17 The word "lcatholic," which is here used, is explained as meaning universal, (not the Romish church,) but all who profess the gospel of Christ, and the doctrines which are therein contained. It includes, therefore, all the various denominations, who, while differing from each other in many particulars, receive the word of God as their only rule of faith and practice, and observe the ordinances commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is called visible because its members are known, and are distinguishable from the world by their profession. Its ceremonies and its appointments fall under the observation of men like those of any other society. On the contrary, the invisible church cannot thus be discovered. The qualifications for admission thereto are formed, and can only certainly be discerned, in the heart. It is possible for a man to be a member of the one church, while he has no connection with the other. Judas was a professed disciple of Christ, and belonged to the visible church, yet perished; while the dying thief, without the enjoyment of any outward rite, was acknowledged as a member of the invisible church, and went to Paradise. The relation of these two departments of the kingdom of Christ to each other, is that of the scaffolding to the building 2* 18 SKETCHES OF It does not constitute it, yet is essential to its completion. It is the means by which sinners are converted, Christians edified and comforted, and souls saved. When the topstone is laid, and the last redeemed sinner brought home to glory, there will be no longer need of a ministry, and ordinances, and means of grace, but together, in the temple not made with hands, all the ransomed of the Lord will be kings and priests unto God, and will serve him day and night for ever. The visible church is said to "consist of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children." The word of God abundantly confirms the truth of this description. The promise of Christ, " where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them," forms a church wherever there is a Bible, and a people who love and worship God. An open profession or avowal of faith in Christ constitutes man a member of his visible church, So that, from Adam to Abraham, all who received the promises of a coming Redeemer, and who worshipped in the faith of them, constituted the visible kingdom of Christ. But when the Lord celled Abraham, and set him and his family apart as a distinct and separate people, he THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 19 covenanted to be a God to him, and his seed after him, (Gen. xvii. 7,) and gave to him the rite of circumcision, which was to be the sign of admission to the visible church, and to be administered to the children, as well as to the parents. Not only Isaac, from whom the Jews were to descend, out Ishmael, and the servants of Abraham, were circumcised. So that this was evidently intended to include all of Abraham's fcamily, as sharing in the covenant with him, and to be blessed for his sake. But the promise, made to Abraham, was meant for all who in every age should fear God. In Gal. iii. 8, it is written, The Scriptures, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed." These promises were of spiritual blessings, and they were made to both the believer and his children, "Abraham and his seed." Four hundred and thirty years after this covenant was made, it was renewed with the people at Sinai, having still the same provisions. For Paul declares, "The covenant which was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul that it should make the promise of none effect." This 20 SKETCHES OF promise was the object of pleasing contemplation to the saints in all ages. The Psalmist declared, "The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to ever lasting unto such as fear him, and his righteousness unto children's children. Nor was this promise ever withdrawn. Jesus Christ took the children in his arms, and said, "Of such is the kingdom of heaven," "Suffer them to come unto me." When the apostles met the multitude, on the day of Pentecost, they urged them to repent and be baptized, adding as the reason, "for the promise is to you and to your children." Thus far not a word is said that leads us to suppose, that in the church under the Christian dispensation, any change was made respecting its members. A con. verted Jew who had always regarded his children as belonging to the church, was nowhere told that under Christ they were to be excluded. And the apostle Paul taught that the Christian church was founded on the old promises to Abraham. He compares the Jewish church in his Epistle to the Romans to the good olive tree, into which, under the new dispensation, the Gentile church is grafted. In the Epistle to the Galatians, he calls all who believe "Abraham's seed and heirs, according to the promise." But what is that promise? It is to be a God to him and his seed after him. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCII. 21 The church therefore now, as in the days of the Patriarch, consists of all who profess the true religion, with their children. And the propriety of this divine arrangement is apparent, in the object for which the church was organized. It was established as the means of introducing souls to the blessings of salvation, and to the spiritual and invisible kingdom of Jesus Christ, to which it was subordinate. The intimate relation of parents to their children was introduced by an all-wise God, as one of the most important influences by which the great end of the church could be attained. Hence, in the covenant which Jehovah made with his professing people, he included their children in the pro. mised blessings. And though the seals of that covenant have been changed, it is still true that the "seed of the faithful have no less a right to them now, than the children of Abraham under a former dispensation." God has never blotted out their names from his covenant, nor reversed that promise which is the enduring platform of the visible church; I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenai t; to be a God to thee and thy seed after thee." 22 SKETCHES OF CHAPTER III. THE OFFICERS AND DISCIPLINE OF THE CIr RCH. TImE form of government which, since the Reformation, has given the name of " Presbyterian" to one branch of the visible church is of very early origin. Long before the coming of Christ, and even before the establishment of the ceremonial law, we are told of the Elders of Israel, (Ex. iii. 16,) to whom were evidently committed the inspection and government of the people, and the settlement of all disputes among them. In Exodus xviii., we read that Moses chose wise and able men out of the tribes, whom he made rulers, and who are elsewhere called Elders. The arrangement, afterwards made, of the tabernacle and temple services, was designed to set forth, in types and symbols, the office and work of the coming Messiah. Hence, priests, and sacrafiles, and offerings were appointed, which were to be the " shadow of good things to come," and to cease when Christ should have appeared, as the High Priest of his people, offering "himself a sacrifice once for all." THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 23 Nor even while the temple remained was it pos sible for all the people to meet there for their ordinary religious services. Eence, synagogues were established, which, though divested of all the splendour of the temple, were yet convenient and proper places for prayer and praise. Here the people met to worship. Here the law was read and expounded, and the promises of God made the theme of devout and grateful contemplation. The officers of the synagogue were Elders, or Presbyters. One of them presided over the assembly, and was called the "ruler of the synagogue," as in Mark v. 22, Luke viii. 41, and Acts xiii. 15. The others were his counsellors, who took part in the government of the congregation, and to whom all cases of discipline were committed. See John xii. 42; 2 Cor. xi. 24. Besides these officers there were Deacons, who collected the -alms of the people and distributed to the poor. There was also a high court of appeal, called the Great Synagogue, where errors in the lower courts might be corrected. This was the general system of church government throughout the nation. It was a system of representation familiar to all the Jews, and by which they were bound together as one body, though having many members. 24 SKETCIIES OF'When Christ appeared he recognized and approvedl the worship and government of the synagogue, as was evident by his frequent presence there, while his apostles, following his example. often mn't the people arnd instructed themn in these popular assemtblalgeIs of the Jews. To the early disciples, therefore, the form of government which we now call presbyterial was familiar, and it is easy to see how readily the Christian church might adopt it. And that this was the form which it assumed, is evident from the fact that its officers have the names and duties whicih formerly belonged to the officers of the synagogue. We no where meet among them the names of the Priesthood;h but we are continually told of " E~lders being ordained in every church;" and of the "Elders of the church being called together;" and of the " Elders that rule well, and labour in word and doctrine." Hence, while the apostles could not, in the nature of their duties as such, appoint successors to the apostolic office, as Ministers and Elders they " set apart faithful men, who should be able to TEACH others also." It was by " laying on of the hands of the Pres. by.ery" that Timothy received the gift of the ministry. And when the apostles gave advice and THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 25 counsel, it was as Elders, speaking to fellow Presbyters. Thus the apostle Peter writes (1 Peter, v. 1):'The Elders which are among you I exhort, who am also a( Elder." The Elders of the church were to be called to visit and pray over the sick. James v. 14. They were assembled to consider questions of discipline, and when any subject of interest to the church at large was to be decided, we read of a meeting of Ministers, or Apostles and Elders, at Jerusalem, whence decrees were sent to all the churches. Acts xv. 4-22. Here we meet the general outlines of our church: 1. An equality among the Ministry. 2. The government of particular congregations by two or more Elders. 3. The union of many churches, under a council of Ministers and Elders, deciding questions of doctrine and practice. The office of Deacon was afterwards introduced, to relieve the ministry from the care of the poor. The account of its institution, with the reasons for it, is given in Acts vi. 1-6. Some of the men thus appointed afterwards preached-not in the capacity of Deacons, but as Evangelists, to which office they were specially set apart. Acts xxi. 8. During the first century the church con3 26 SKETCHES OF tinued to ue governed after the simple model of the Jewish synagogue. Three or four men of piety and wisdom ruled in each congregation. But as the churches increased, and the duties of the ministry became more arduous, one man of superior wisdom was chosen from among the Presbyters to preside over them, who was called the angel of the church (Rev. ii. 3,) and also Bishop, or overseer. He had the care of one Christian congregation, teaching and administering the ordinances, but having no power above his fellow Elders. This was the essential plan of our own church, at the present day, and of the synagogue before and at the coming of Christ. Each particular congregation was under the care of a Presbytery of Elders, of whom one at least taught the people, while the rest assisted in the care and discipline of the church. It is evident, in the history of the apostolic church, that the congregations were not wholly isolated and independent, but that there was a bond of union, through their ministers and representatives, which all recognized, and under which all acted. This was not a single individual, of special and superior powers, but a body of men of equal authority, whose decisions were received by the whlle church. The fifteenth chapter of Acts con THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 27 tains a history of a council of Ministers, acting with authority on questions of vast importance to the entire Christian community, and clearly illustrating the dependence of one part of the church upon all the rest. An earnest dispute had arisen upon the subject of circumcision, between two of the apostles and certain teachers who sought to introduce a Jewish rite into the Christian church. To settle the question, delegates were sent to Jerusalem, who there met the Apostles and Elders, who considered the matter, and decided to send some of the representatives to Antioch with the decrees of the Synod, and with the assurances of their friendly interest and care for them. Here was an ecclesiastical court, possessing not merely advisory powers, but authority to send forth decrees, which the churches were to register and keep. Nor, when men were to be set apart to the ministerial office, did a single individual, clothed with prelatical power, performfhe duty, but a company of Presbyters. It was the solemn injunction of Paul to Timothy (1 Tim. iv. 14) "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the.hands of the Presbytery." It was by a number of Elders, consulting and praying together, that the solemn 28 SKETCHES OF act was accomplished, which set apart the youthful Timothy to the work of the holy ministry. We no where in the New Testament meet with any facts which show that the work of discipline and of ordination was performed in any other way than by a union of two or more co-Presbyters, of equal power and authority, acting together. Here are all the prominent features of the Presbyterian church, as already stated. But in the course of years, as the churches (first and naturally established in the cities) began to form and assist congregations in the smaller and less important places, their pastors continued their inspection and care over them, sending out deputies, or assistant ministers, to preach among them. These assistants were called "chorepiscopoi," or "country bishops," and assumed a middle rank between Bishops and Elders. It was not long before the city pastors, who were chosen to preside in their presbyterial meetings, assumed new powers and authority, claiming supremacy over the churches in certain districts, (afterwards called dioceses,) and superiority to their Ministers or Presbyters. It was this departure from the simplicity of the' gospel, and from the positive rule of Christ, which forbade any strife for pre-eminence, that in the course of a few centuries made the THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 29 church corrupt, filled it with a ministry destitute of the Spirit of Christ, and that changed the simple ordinances of the gospel into a round of rites and ceremonies, borrowed from the temple service and from the worship of heathen idolaters. Then, as was foretold, the true church fled into the wilderness from before her enemies, and there, among the mountains, nourished and kept alive the truth and worship of God, while th3 whle world went after the lying wonders of Lhe mother of abominations. Be 30 SKETCHES 0P CHAPTER IV. THE WORSHIP AND ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH. As the government of the Christian church was arranged after the model of the Jewish synagogue, its worship also partook of the same simple and pure character. The evident tendency of the gospel was to draw away the mind from any attachment to rites and forms, as essential to true religion. It taught men to regard a change of heart and a holy life, as of far more importance than any adherence to ceremonies and external modes of worship. Hence, the apostles took occasion to rebuke, most plainly, the tendency of some professing Christians to introduce the Jewish ritual into the services of the Christian church. The first day of the week was universally set apart for the public worship of God. On that day Christ, the Lord of the Sabbath, arose from the dead, and the following passages show that it was henceforth observed as the day of rest: Mark xvi. 9; John xx. 19; Matt. xxviii. 1, 8, 9; Acts xx. 7; 1 Cor. xvi. 2; Rev. i. 10. Compare also THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 31 Psalm cxviii. 24 with the foregoing. From these texts of Scripture it is evident that the apostles, with the Divine approbation and appointment, changed the day of worship from the seventh to the first day of the week. Then the disciples gathered together, first at private houses, and afterward, as their numbers increased, in places where they were better accommodated, and over which they had more entire control. In their assemblies the principal services consisted in reading and expounding the Scriptures, exhortations, prayers, and the singing of hymns, Acts xiii. 15, 16, and xviii. 4; Heb. x. 25, and xiii. 15;'Matt. xxvi. 30. Christ himself appointed two ordinances only-Baptism and the Lord's Supper. BAPTISM was the rite of initiation into the church. It was an application of water to the body, in token of the cleansing blood of Christ, and the renewing influences of the Holy Spirit. Hitherto, circumcision had been the seal of the covenant, and the sign of introduce ion to the church. But when Christ sent forth his Inini -ers, his command was to teach and to bapt'ize the nations. This was only changing the seals but not the covenant. Hence the apostles, rehearsing the prom;ses to believers and their children, bat tized themn 32 SKETC ES OF and their families. Thus when the jailor believed, they baptized him and " all his." Acts xvi. 33. When Lydia was converted, she and her household were baptized, Acts xvi. 15. Paul speaks (1 Cor. i. 16,) of baptizing "the household of Stephanas." The mode of baptism is not essential to the validity of the ordinance. It is a token of purification, and may be accomplished by pouring or sprinkling, or by immersion. The word which is translated " baptize," has various significations, and we are not necessarily confined to any one of them. It implies to wash, to tinge, to dye with any liquid, to sprinkle, to dip. Many passages in the word of God occur in which the word must necessarily signify to pour upon, or to sprinkle. The ceremonial washing (baptism) of cups, and pots, and brazen vessels, and tables, was by sprinkling, not immersion. The promise of Christ that his disciples should be baptized with the Holy Ghost, was fulfilled by the pouring of the Spirit upon them. The prophecy of John, "that Christ should baptize with fire," was accomplished at the time when cloven tongues of fire sat upon each of the disciples. Baptism is admitted by all to signify the cleansing and renovation of the soul l'y the Spirit. In THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 33 the promises to the church respecting that Spirit, he is spoken of as being poured out. Isaiah xxxii. 15, and xliv. 3. In Ezekiel xxxvi. 25, we read, " I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean." Isaiah says of Christ, "So shall he sprinkle many nations." And the apostle speaks of the *' blood of sprinkling." The blood of the paschal lamb was sprinkled upon the door posts of the houses of the Israelites, a fit emblem of that blood by which we are cleansed. Thus the language of Scripture points out to us sprinkling as the most appropriate manner of baptism, and as significant of the work of the Spirit. The circumstances under which many were baptized, also show that this mode must have been in common use with the apostles. Three thousand were baptized in a part of a day, in a populous city, and at a time when the streams near it were dry. Ananias went into the house where Saul was, after he had been met in his way to Damascus, and said,'Arise and be baptized;" and when he iiad received sight, he arose and forthwith was baptized, and then ate and was strengthened. Cornelius was converted under the preaching of Peter, and when the Holy Ghost fell upon him and his company, the apostle asked, "Can any 34 SKETCHES OF man forbid water that these should not be bap. tized?" The jailor was converted at midnight, and the same hour was baptized. All these scenes evidently occurred in the house, where the only mode in which water could be applied, was by sprinkling or pouring. The history of the church, after the times of the apostles, shows that then, as now, baptism was administered either by plunging the body in water, or by sprinkling, and that either mode was considered a proper compliance with the command of Christ. The Scriptures seek to guard us against any such attachment to a particular manner of admin. istering Christian ordinances, as shall draw our'ninds away from the thing signified. What we need is the renewing influences of the Spirit; if we are thus cleansed, a drop of water as well as an ocean, can signify to our hearts the " blood of sprinkling, which speaketh better things than that of Abel.". If we have not this change, "Nor running brook, nor flood, iOor sea Can wash our dismal stains away." Besides the ordinance of baptism, or the rite of introduction to the church, our Saviour instituted the Lord's Supper, which he designed to be a part of the worship of his people. On the THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 35 evening before he was crucified, he and his disciples were gathered in an upper chamber, at Jerusalem, to eat the Passover, commemorative of the deliverance of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. While they were still at the table, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and gave it to his disciples to eat as t memorial of his body broken for sin. In the same manner also he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, bade them all drink of it, as a memorial of his blood which was shed for the remission of sins. The apostle Paul, when he was writing to the churches in relation to the design of this ordinance, declared, 4As oft as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show forth the Lord's death until he come." When, therefore, Christians celebrate the Lord's Supper, they testify before the world to their belief in Christ, and their confidence that he was crucified for their sins. This ordinance is called sometimes "the communion," because in it we hold fellowship with Christ and his people. 1 Cor. x. 16, 17. When properly received, it serves to strengthen our faith and quicken our graces, and leads us to cherish a warmer love for Him who hath spread the feast, and bids us as guests to partake of it. This was evidently the design of Christ in establishing this sacrament, that it should serve as a memorial of 36 SKETCHES OF him, and its value was to be in proportion to the degree of faith and love in which it should be -eceived He established no rite which of itself secured the salvation of the soul. ie alone is the way, and the truth, and the life, and the ordinances of his house are only means of grace designed to lead the soul to him. They are only valuable when they produce this result. This our church teaches, when it declares in the Confession of Faith, "That the grace which is exhibited in, or by the sacraments, rightly used, is not conferred by any power in them; neither doth the efficacy of a sacrament depend upon the piety, or intention of him that doth administer it, but upon the work of the Spirit, and the word of institution, which contains, together with a precept authorizing the use there. of, a promise of benefit to worthy receivers." Such are the ordinances of the church as established by Christ and the apostles. They were the simple rites of the early Christians, before they were distorted and perverted by the pompous and unmeaning ceremonies of a corrupt church, and are received by us as the form of worship best adapted to lead the mind upward to God, who as a Spirit requires us to worship him in spirit and in truth. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 37 CHAPTER V. C3RRUPTIONS OF THE CHURCH. THE simplicity and purity of the primitive church, in its worship and government, was retained throughout the age of the apostles and their immediate successors. The testimony of the early fathers clearly shows that the cardinal features of the Presbyterian church, viz., the parity of the ministry-the government of each separate congregation by a board of elders, teaching and ruling; and the union of all the churches under a common bond of responsibility and authority, composed of a proper representation, were the essential elements of the apostolic and primitive church. But it was clearly foretold by the writers both of the Old and New Testament, that a great corruption and heresy should arise in the church, which should greatly mar its peace and purity, and wholly change its rites and ordinances from their original nature and intention. More than five centuries before the coming of 4 38 SKETCHES OF Christ, the prophet Daniel predicted the rise and progress of a religious power that should " speak great words against the Most High, and should wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws." Dan. vii. 8-25. After the establishment of the Christian church the apostles Paul and John most distinctly warned their brethren of the coming of antichrist, and described all its principal features, its alarming progress, and its dreadful end, when Christ should destroy it with the brightness of his coming. In 2 Thess. ii. 3-10, and 1 Tim. iv. 1-3, the power is plainly alluded to as the "son of perdition"-" the man of sin"-" the mystery of ini quiv" — "the wicked whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power, and signs, and lying wonders"-" forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from meats" —Ispeaking lies in hypocrisy." To the beloved disciple, amid the sublime visions of Patmos, the same spiritual power was revealed as soon to rise and corrupt the church and the world. The wonderful descriptions given in Rev. xiii. 11-18, and xvii. 1-18, can only find their realization in the long and dark history of that church.vhich is "drunk with the blood of the saints." Scarcely had the last apostle left the world, when this evil began to manifest itself. THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, 39 It was first apparent in the ambition and pride of the pastors of the church. By the means of councils, which began in the second century to claim authority as to faith and practice, the equality of the Presbyters was at length destroyed. The Bishops of certain cities claimed a superiority over their brethren, and gradually introduced different orders of the ministry. To support these claims, it was asserted that the officers of the Christian church were the successors to the various orders of the Jewish priesthood; that the Bishop took the place of the high-priest under the Mosaic law; and that the Presbyters and Deacons answered to the offices of priests and Levites under the same dispensation. In order also to remove the objections which were made to the Christian faith by Jews and heathen, that its worship was so simple, many ceremonies and rites were introduced which Christ had never authorized. Ministers began to wear robes in their services in imitation of the Jewish priests, and to use certain symbols, borrowed friom the heathen, to teach the truths of religion. Thus the sign of the cross was used in baptism, and all the ordinances of religion became burdened with a weight of pcmnpouu and unmeaning ceremonies that wholly concealed the beauty and simplicity of the gospel. 40 SKETCHES OF As the power of the Bishops increased, they assumed more and more of the pomp and splendour which was witnessed in the Roman court. They had their thrones, and their splendid vestments, and their symbols of authority. Then were built costly and magnificent churches, enriched with gold and silver vessels for the services of religion, and adorned with paintings and images. The rich were encouraged to erect houses of worship, by being permitted to appoint the ministers who should officiate in them. After the persecutions which raged during the first three centuries had ceased, the government and worship of the church rapidly lost all its original features. When Constantine, the emperor of Rome, exerted his power to protect the Christian religion, the church and the state were united, and ambitious and ungodly men soon began to make the office of the ministry the means of securing their own selfish purposes. Imitating the government of the empire, which was divided into provinces, (each under the care of a prefect,) the church was divided into four dioceses, over which a Bishop was appointed, who was afterwards called the Patriarch, and who had the pre-eminence over all the pastors in their district. These prelates had their pats at Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, and THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 41 Constantinople, from which cities their patriarchates were named. They had at first equal power, but gradually the Bishop of Rome usurped authority, until, in the year 606, Boniface obtained the title of universal Bishop or Pope, and was made supreme head of the church. i Here was a bold, daring act of treason against Christ, who is the only Head of the church, and who has never appointed any one to fill his place.) In the next century the Pope was made a temporal prince by Pepin, a French monarch. Since that time, as was predicted, he has had great power, and kings and nations have submitted to his authority. Such was the rise of the' Man of Sin." And thus did a large portion of the visible church fall away after his " lying wonders." The church lost its original features, and became the arena where a corrupt and ambitious priesthood strove for honours and distinctions which Christ never warranted, and which the apostles never established. The change which took place in the church, by the destruction of the equality of the ministry, was but the index of a more fearful change that the morals and doctrines of the professed disciples of Christ were undergoing. Superstition gradually took the place of true piety. The churches 4* 42 SKETCHES OF dedicated professedly to Him who requires spiritual worship, began to rival the ancient temple at Jerusalem, in the vestments of their priests, and the gorgeous services which they performed. Clouds of incense arose before the images which were, at the close of the fourth century, introduced for the worship of the church. The memory of the martyrs was kept alive by festivals in honour of them; rites and bombastic prayers and liturgies were multiplied; the Lord's Supper was celebrated with unnecessary frequency, and often at the tombs of martyrs, and at funerals. Imitating the tricks of heathen priests, rumors were artfully circulated of miracles performed in certain places, by which crowds were drawn thither, and the wealth and the power of the church augmented. Then an undue value was attached to a mortification of the body; and fasts were multiplied, and made essential parts of the worship of the church, and men began to shut themselves up in places of seclusion, turning away from all the duties and pleasures of life, to the cells and cloisters of hermits and monks. Even rmarriage was at length forbidden to ministers, and one of God's own institutions was thus disregarded and set at nought. Rapidly, now, did all traces of the gospel as first preached, and of the church as first established, THE PRESBTYERIAN CHURCH. 43 disappear. The ordinance of baptism, from being a simple sign and seal, was looked upon as of itself securing pardon for sin. The Lord's Supper was changed from its original intention, as an ordinance commemorative of Christ's death, to an actual sacrifice, and the bread and wine were set forth as the real body and blood of the dying Saviour. Hence arose the custom of receiving the sacrament while kneeling, instead of the usual posture of guests, as it was first received by the disciples. Then, as the idea of sacerdotal power and authority advanced, the people were taught to confess their sins in private to their ministers, who now assumed the name and offices of priests, instead of being simply " ambassadors for Christ, to beseech men to be reconciled to God." Such was the progress of corruption in the church, and the growth of that "mystery of iniquity" clearly foretold by the prophets and apostles. No prophecy was more distinctly fulfilled than that found in the Epistles of Paul and John. No power has been a more potent engine of evil than that which had now arisen. Gradually did it increase, until all nations were subject thereto. Learning was diminished, and the state of the church became fearfully dark and corrupt. The popes were monsters of wickedness, 44 SKETCHES OF the offices of the church were bought and sold, and ail the institutions of religion were made a means of increasing the wealth of the proud and ambitious men who appeared as the pretended teachers of the gospel of the meek and lowly Jesus. Pardon for past sins, and indulgences to commit new ones, were sold for money. Prisons and tortures, and death in its most horrid forms, became the arguments by which the bloody and rapacious priesthood maintained their authority and confirmed their doctrines. Men of the most abandoned character were elevated to be the pretended successors of St. Peter, and the lives of the priests and prelates were for ages blackened by every form of vice. They who affirm that salvation depends on receiving the rites of religion from ministers ordained by such power, must trace their authority through these corruptions. The midnight of darkness and ignorance now rested, like a pall of death, upon the nations, and the wondrous revelations of the holy prophets were fully confirmed. Babylon the great has become " the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird," and " her sins have reached unto heaven." The following table will place before the eye a succinct view of the rise and progress of the Papal THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH. 45 corruptions, together with the chief events that marked the history of the church of Christ up to the Reformation. CIRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF THE CHURCH. f The church modeled after the Jewish Synayogue. — Each assembly governedI st and 2d 1st CENTURY. i by a bench of Rulin and [ persecutions of Teaching Elders. Deacons. Christians. Baptism and the Lord's Supper instituted. Parity L of the clergy. J F BISHOP's AUTHORITY AUG-' MENTED BY COUNCIS.The idea of succession to 3 3d and 4th 2d CENTURY. - theJewish hierarchy arose. peraecutins Ceremonies multiplied.- per uton god-fathers and god-moth- Lers in Baptism. J F BISHOPS OF CITIES AS-] SUME NEW POWEtRS. MOnastic life came in fashion, 5th, 6th, Tth, Churches first erected.- and 8th perse3d CENTURY. Sacraments corrupted.- cutions. NovaSIGN OF TlHE CROSS used. tians. WitnessIncense first offered. Fast- es for the truth. ing conmmon. Oblations Lfor the dead. J ( DIOCESAN EPISCOPACY. ARCHBISHIOPS. Magnificent churches erected.Rights of patronage. Parts of public worship changed. 9th and 1Oth CELIBACY OF THE CLERGY. persecutions. 4th ENTURY. Piounffrauds. Itnl(ye wor- Christianity sh. ip. Pretended discovery tolerated. of the true cross. Pilgrim- Versions of the ages in repute. Relics es- Scriptures. teemed. Word MASS adopted. Wax candles kept burning in churches. Canonical hours for prayer. 46 SKETCHES OF Patriarchs having powef I over bi/isops. The bishop of ROMl I augmenting his power. Clergy liceentious Iand worldly. Moinks becoming opulent and influ- Nestorius ertial. Pictures caid imiLa- condemnned for 5th CENTURY.