divine affiftance, illuftrate the following obfervations, evidently contained in the hiftory itself.

I. That at Antioch, from whence this caufe came, there was a church.

II. That in the church at Antioch, there arofe a queftion, about which the prophets and teachers could not agree.

III. That the office bearers at Antioch, as dinguifhed from the brethren, in that church, had a right to have given judgment in the important caufe.

IV. That though thefe Prefbyters were a court of Chrift, properly conftituted, they confidered their decifions as fubject to a court of review; and, for that reafon, unanimously agreed to refer the whole caufe, as it flood, to the venerable Synod of Judea,

V. That after the commiffioners from Antioch had reached the metropolis of Judea,-produced their credentials, and opened up their caufe.-the Synod of Jerufalem-first reafoned upon it; and, then, came to an unanimous fentence.

VI. That two of the commiffioners from Antioch joined by two from Judea, were immediately dif patched with letters to the Gentile converts, containing an account of the Synodical judgment. And, Vil. That, upon receiving and reading the epiftle, the Gentile converts, as in our text,

joiced for the confolation."

re

In the illuftration of thefe particulars, we fhall endeavour, as a humble apology for the Prefbyterian form of church government, to exhibit

66

66

"The New Teftament original, after which every court of review, in the Chriftian church, on the one hand;-and every private churchmember, on the other; fhould attentively copy."

OBSERVATION I,

That at Antioch, from whence this caufe came, "there was a church; for when Paul and Barnabas came thither, they "gathered the church "together," Acts xiv. 27.

In the New-Teftament, indeed, there are very different acceptations of that term.

Sometimes, it fignifies no more than a concourfe of people, affembled in a lawless, and employed in a finful manner. Such was the mob raised by Demetrius the filver-fmith, against Paul;--whereof itis said, that “ the affembly," or, as it is in the first language," the church was confufed," Acts xix. 32.

Sometimes, it fignifies a meeting for the difcuffion of civil affairs, according to the particular ufages of different countries. Such a meeting the town-clerk at Ephefus had in view, when, to the mob now mentioned, he faid, "It fhall be "determined in a lawful assembly," or "church," Acts xix. 39.

There is one inftance, where it points at churchofficers alone, Matth. xxviii. 17. in their ruling ca. pacity;-and of the church, in that view, it is faid, "Whatfoever ye fhall bind on earth, fhall be "bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye fhall loofe " on earth, shall be loofed in heaven," Matth xxviii.

18.

Now, it fignifies a company of perfons profeffing the faith, and walking together in love of the gofpel. Such were certain focieties in Lyftra, Derbe, Iconium, and other places;-for referring to them the hiftorian tells us, that Paul and Barnabas "ordained elders in every church," Acts xiv. 23.

L

And

And, then, it fignifies fuch a company of believ ers, with proper officers fet over them in the Lord, for all the purposes of Doctrine and Worfhip, Difcipline and Government, appointed by Jefus Chrift.

Thus the hiftorian understood this term, faying, "There was a great perfecution against the church "which was at Jerufalem," Acts viii. 1.

It is in the laft, doubtless, of these views we are to understand it, as applied to the Christians at Antioch; -for, as we are affured, that there was a church in that city, made up of difciples only in their private capacity, with whom Barnabas and Saul "affembled "a whole year;" Acts xi. 26. fo, that thofe difci ples were afterwards favoured with "prophets and teachers" of their own, "to bear office among "them," Acts xiii. 1.

When, we faid, in the last of thefe views, we on ly mean, in as far as it refpected the relation which fubfifted between the difciples at Antioch and their immediate office-bearers. For, their connection with the church at Jerufalem might be argued, not only from the inftruments of their converfion to the Chriftian faith,-fuch, namely, as "were scatter"ed abroad upon the perfecution that arose about

Stephen" A&s xi. 19. but, from the oversight which the office-bearers at Jerufalem took of them at that early period. "They fent forth Barnabas "that he should go as far as Antioch; who, when ❝he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad,

and exhorted them all, that, with purpose of "heart they would cleave unto the Lord," verf. 22, 23.

4

And the fubordination both of the difciples and office bearers at Antioch, in their church-capacity, to the collective church at Jerufalem, will appear from the following obfervations: and therefore our reafoning,

reasoning, upon that head, fhall not now be anticipated.

It may be useful here to notice, that we find great changes in the radical church at Jerfualem, as to the number of her members; and may infer, that the behoved, in the fame proportion, to undergo changes alfo, with refpect to the number, and particular provinces, of her office-bearers.

That church confifted once, only of about a bundred and twenty; Acts i. 15. It immediately fwelled to about three thousand one hundred and twenty; Acts ii. 41. foon after, it increased to about five thousand; A&ts iv. 4.-Then it arofe to a multitude; Acts iv. 32. and, as if all had been infufficient to instruct the propriety of this observation, we are told, that multitudes both of men and women, were added to the Lord, Acts v. 14.Notwithstanding, they were all along but one church; no other churches having been planted, until after Stephen's martyrdom.

The church, therefore, at Jerufalem was as a greeable to the order prefcribed in the New Testament, when it confifted of fuch growing multitudes, as when it was confined to fix fcore :-it was as properly a gospel church, when neceffarily divided into many feparate places, for accommodation, as when they could all be accommodated in one upperroom, Acts i. 13.

Churches, indeed, fo conftituted,-though they fhould confift only of one worshipping affembly, have the full power of difcipline within themselves ;-but then, unless it can be afcertained by what precife number a gospel church must be circumfcribed, the fame power muft remain in the whole body, though it be extended to an hundered, or even a thousand worshipping affemblies.

The congregations, for example, within the

L 2

bounds

:

bounds of a prefbytery, are only a greater part of the church, or more numerous congregation Thofe, again, within the bounds of a fynod, are only a ftill greater proportion of the church, fub jected to a more extenfive prefbytery:-and the whole congregations, within whatever bounds, who agree to walk together under the fame denomination, are only the subjects of a more extensive synod,

According to this reafoning, where Chriftians are o agreed, it makes no difference as to the pro per criterions of a gofpel church,-whether their refidence be confined to fuch an ifland as Mileta, or extended through fuch an ifland as Great Britain; no fort of difference, whether their numbers be circumfcribed by hundreds, or fwelled to as many thoufands.

The idea, we know, of a national church cannot be admitted by many ferious perfons, becaufe there is no precedent to be found of it in the NewTeftament. And if that quality of our church implied an indifpenfible obligation upon every individual to fubfcribe one creed, and be of the fame communion,-Who amongst us could accede to the propriety of it?

But, in that forbidding fenfe, the epithet of ha tional by no mean belongs to us-For, though fome in all different parts of the kingdom, are not obliged, only agreed to walk together in a church capacity-what vaft numbers, in every corner, chufe to be of other communions?

After all of the Epifcopal perfuafion,-all the Burgher and Anti burgher Seceders, all the conftituent members of Relief-congregations,—all Independents and Anabaptifts,-all Methodifts and Cameroniaus, all Moravians, Quakers, and Roman catholics,befides the dreadful fhoals of in

fidels