by the authority derived from the apostles. Indeed, had they pretended to act by any other authority, it is not easily to be conceived how their baptifm could have been the baptifm inflituted by Chrift; for it was not with the external washing by whom foever performed, but with the cleven and their fucceffors, that he promised to be" always, even unto the end of the world. That the eleven did not confider this promife, or the commiffion with which it was given, as terminating with their lives, is evident from their admitting others into their own order; for which they had competent authority, as having been fent by Chrift as he was fent by his Father." When St Paul, to magnify his cffice, and procure to it from the Galatians due reverence, ftyles himself, “an apostle not of men, neither by man, but by Jefus Chrift and God the Father," he must have known fome who derived their apoftolic miffion by man; otherwife he could with no propriety have claimed particular refpect, as he evidently does, from what was in his own apoftleship no particular diftinction. At that very early period, therefore, there muft have been in the church fecondary apofties, if they may be fo called, upon whom, by impofition of hands, or by fome other fignificant ceremony, the eleven had conferred that authority which was given to them by their Divine Master. Such were Matthias and Barnabas; fuch likewife were Timothy, Titus, and the angels of the feven churches in Afia, with many others whofe names and offices are mentioned in the New Teftament. That Matthias and Barnabas were of the apoftolic order, has Dever been controverted; and that Timothy and Titus were fuperior to modern prefbyters, is evident from the offices aligned them. Timothy was, by St Paul, empowered to prefide over the prefbyters of Ephefus, to receive accufations a gainst them, to exhort, to charge, and even to rebake them; and Titus was, by the fame apoftle, left in Crete for the exprefs purpose of fetting things in order, and ordaining prefbyters in every city. To exbort, to charge, and with authority to rebuke one's equal, is certainly incongruous; and therefore the Epifcopalian thinks the powers conferred on Timothy altogether inconfiftent with that parity of order and of office, for which bis antagoLifts fo ftrenuously plead. Even the commiffion -given to Titus appears in his eyes by much too extenfive for a Prefbyterian minifter, who, after having ordained in one city, could not have proceeded to ordain in another without the confent and affiftance of his brother and fellow labourer. With respect to the angels of the Afiatic church es, he obferves, that in the Old Teftament the title of angel is fometimes given to the Jewish highpriet, and particularly by the prophet Malachi, who calls him "the meffenger (avytes) of the Lord of Hofts;" and that the ang is of the churches mentioned by St John, were Christian bigh priests or bfhops, prefiding over more than one congregation, as it is affirmed by all the ancient writers, cannot, he thinks, be denied by any man who will take the trouble to compare fcripture with fcripture. We read (Acts xix. 10, and 20.), that "in the fpace of two years all they who dwelt in Afia heard from St Paul the word of the Lord Jefus, both Jews and Greeks;" and that there" the

word of God grew mightily and prevailed:" but, with what truth or propriety could this have been said, if at the time of St John's writing the Apocalypfe, which was 30 years after St Paul's death, all the Chriftians of Proconfular Asia were com prifed in jeven congregations, which affembled, each with its proper paftor, to perform, in one place, the duties of public worship? In a word, the advocate for epifcopacy infifts, that no man, who reads without prejudice the, Acts of the apoftles, the epiftles of St Paul, and the Apocalypfe of St John, can feriously believe that Timothy, Titus, Epaphroditus, Softrenes, and Silvanus, with the angels of the feven churches in Afia, were mere prefbyters, or that the government of the church, was, in those days, by a collegg of elders. (8.) EPISCOPACY FARTHER DEFENDED FROM CHURCH HISTORY. When the Epifcopalian, after quoting the infpired penmen of the New Teftament, proceeds to examine the fucceeding writers of the Chriftian church, he finds fuch multiplied and concurring evidence of the apoftolic inftitution of epifcopacy, as he thinks it impoffible to refit without denying the truth of all ancient hiftory, and even fhaking the pillars of revelation itself; for "in the noble army of martyrs," the witneffes of the epifcopal government of the church are earlier, and by far more numerous, than those who testify that the gospel of St Matthewu was written by that apofle, or that the book of the Apocalypfe is canonical fcripture. The autho rity of the fathers indeed is at prefent very low; but fhould they be allowed to be as fanciful divines, and as bad critics, as their worst enemies reprefent them, this would detract nothing from their evidence when they bear witnefs to the conftitution of the church in their own times; for of their ent grity there can be ro doubt; and what the Epifcopalian wants of them is only their tef timony to matters of fact which fell under the cognizance of their own fenfes, and about which therefore they could not be deceived. It is here indeed chiefly that he triumphs over his antagonifts. In the 2d and 3d centuries there was no general council, nor any Chriftian fovereign. A prelacy therefore, he urges, could not have been univerfally introduced, during that period, either by a concert among the clergy, or by the autho rity of the civil magiftrate. Yet that even then there was no church under heaven, of which the government was not epifcopal, has been confeled by fome of the moft learned writers among the Prefbyterians themselves; whence he concludes that epifcopacy is of divine inftitution. The candid Epifcopalian, however, allows, that in the apoftolic age there may have been fome churches which at firft had only bishops and deacons to perform the offices of religion; for when the number of difciples in any place was fo fmall that they could all meet in one affembly, there was no neceflity for any other order of minifiers: but it appears that, from the very beginning, bishops, prefbyters, and deacons, were fettled in all the large cities of the Roman empire; and it was in thofe days an allowed maxim, that without a bi̟hop there could be no church. The better to underftand the original ftate and inftitution of epifco. pacy, it is neccifary to obferve, that the empire,

.E 2

w.ich

which contained almost all the known part of the Chriftian world, was by Auguftus Cæfar divided into provinces, subjected each to the authority of one chief magiftrate, who was commonly a pre tor or proconful, and who refided in the metropolis or chief city of the province. A province comprehended the cities of a whole region; and in the age of the apoftles, each city was under the immediate government of certain magiftrates within its own body, known by the name of Bouan, or fena tus, ordo and curia, “the states and court of the city. Thofe magiftrates were fubordinate to the prator or proconful; but among them there was one fuperior to the reft, called fometimes dictator, and fometimes defenfor civitatis, whofe jurifdic tion extended not only over the city itself, but likewife over all the adjacent territory. That territory was denominated gas, or the fuburbs, and often reached to the distance of 10 or 12 miles round the city, and fometimes much farther, containing within it many villages and fmall towns under the government of the city magiftrates. From fome paffages in the New Teftament, and from the concurring evidence of the earlieft writers of the church, it appears to have been the purpose of the apoftles to little a bishop in every city where there was a civil magiftracy: but as they could not be perfonally prefent in all places at once, it was natural for them to enter upon the great work of converting the nations, by first preaching the gospel in that city of each province which was the ordinary refidence of the governor; becaufe to it there must have been the greatest refort of people, who could carry the glad tidings with them into the country when they returned. Accordingly, having difperfed themfelves over the empire, and made numbers of profelytes in the principal cities, they fixed in each, where they faw it neceffary, a bishop, with a college of prefby fers and deacons; and gave to thofe bishops, who were at firft called apofiles, a commiffion, as the other cities of the province should be converted, to fix in them bifuops alfo. In fome of the smaller cities, it is extremely probable that a bishop and a deacon were for a fhort time the only ec clefiaftical officers, till the number of Chriftians Increated fo much, as to make it impoffible for them all to affemble in one houfe for the purpofes of public worship. The bishop then ordained prefbyters to officiate in thofe congregations where he Limtelf could not be prefent, and to affiit him in other parts of his paftoral office; but in all their miniftrations the prefbyters were fubordinate to him who was the chief paftor within the city, who compofed the prayers which were offered up in public, and to whom all the other minifters of religion were accountable for their conduct. So long as the number of the faithful was confined within the walls of the city, it appears that the bifhop with his prefbyters and deacons lived together as in a college; that divine fervice was every Lord's day, or oftener, performed in what was afterwards called the cathedral or mother church, by the bishop himself, affifted by fome of his clergy; and that the congregations which het in other churches, having no fixed paftors, tvere fupplied by fuch prefbyters as the bishop Shofe to find to them from his own church,

Whilft matters continued in this ftate, the clergy had no other revenues than what arofe from the voluntary oblations of the people; which were indeed fo large, as not only to fupport them with decency, but likewife to anfwer other ends of charity and munificence. They were commonly di vided into four equal parts; of which one was allotted to the bishop, a 2d to the inferior clergy, ad to the poor, and a 4th to keep the churches in repair; and it was confidered as part of the bishop's duty, to take care that the offerings should be faithfully applied to these purposes. When converts increafed in number, and churches were built in the fuburbs, each of those churches had a fixed paftor fimilar to a parish priest 4mong us; but ftill those paftors, as well as the city clergy, miniftered in fubordination to the bifhop, whofe authority extended as far as the civi authority of the Ronian magiftrate, within which diftrict or diocese it was fupreme over all orders of Chriftians. This every man knows, who is acquainted with ecclefiaftical hiftory; for the bi hop alone could ordain priefts and deacons, adminifter the rite of confirmation, abfolve penitents who were under church cenfure, and exclude from communion heretics and notorious offenders; and from his fentence there lay no appeal but to a fy. nod of comprovincial bishops. Such fynods were in each province convened by the bishop of the chief city; for the apoftles having been careful to place in thofe cities men of the moft eminent gifts and abilities, the other bishops of the provinces ap-. plied to them for advice upon every emergency, and paid a particular deference to them upon every occafion. So that though all bifhops were of equal authority as bishops, yet when they met to confecrate a new bishop, or to deliberate upon the affairs of the church, they yielded a prece dency to the bishop of the metropolis, who called them together, and who fat as prefident or mo derator of the fynod. Hence the origin of metropolitans or ARCHBISHOPS; whofe authority was fo confiderable, that, though there is not a doubt, but the election of bishops was anciently placed in the clergy and people of the vacant diocefe, yet the bishop ele& could not be confecrated without the confent of the archbishop of the province. In confequence of the extenfive powers with which the primitive bishops were vefted, they are com monly ftyled, in the writings of those times, prefidents, provofts, or infpefors of the church, chief priests, princes of the clergy, and even princes of the people; but their authority was wholly fpiritual. Thofe prelates, imitating the example of their Divine Mafter when on earth, neither poffeffed nor affumed to themfelyes any jurisdiction over the properties or civil rights of men. In confequence of St Paul's having reprimanded the Corinthians for going to law before the unbelievers, they were indeed often chofen as arbiters of fuch civil difputes as arofe between individuals under their epifcopal government; but on thefe occa fions they could not act unless the fubmiffion was voluntarily made by both the contending parties, and then their decifion was final. When the em pire became Chriftian, this privilege was confirined to them by law; for any civil caufe depending before a court of juice could be withdrawn, and

by

by the mutual confent of parties be fubmitted to the arbitration of the bishop, whofe award, which in former times could be enforced only by the terror of church cenfures, was then enforced by the fecular magistrate. In criminal causes, where the trial might be for life or death, they were prohibited both by the canons of the church and by the laws of the ftate from acting as judges; and therefore they never suffered such caufes to come before them, except when it was neceffary that the perton accuted, if found guilty, thould be excluded from the communion of the faithful. But they had fo many civil caufes flowing in upon them, that they were foon obliged to devolve part of that care upon other perfons, in whofe knowledge, prudence, and interity, they could fully confide; and as the perfons employed to act in the bishop's ftead were often laymen, it has been conjectured that they gave rife to the office of lay chancellor in the church, and to all that train of spiritual judges and spiritual courts against which fuch numbers are difpofed to clamour. Be this as it may, it is certain, that, through the piety and munificence of the Chriftian emperors, the bishops enjoyed large revenues and many valuable privileges; but it does not appear that they had any rank or authority, as barons or temporal princes, till the Gothic nations, which fubverted the Roman empire, had embraced the Chriftian faith. As Chriftianity incapacitated the leaders of thofe tribes from officiating as chief priefte, at the religious rites which were usually celebrated at the opening of their public aflemblies, the bishops came naturally to difcharge that duty on fuch occafions, when they must have shared in the rank by fharing in the functions of the chief. The fituation in which they thus appeared, at the opening of all political conventions, would enable them to join with much effect in the deliberations which enfued; and their fuperior knowledge, their facred character, and their influence with the people, would foon acquire them power equal to their rank. They must therefore have been well intitled to demand admiffion into that council, which was formed by the king and the lay-chiefs at the national affemblies: and as they balanced the authority of thofe chiefs, we cannot doubt that the king would be difpofed to give the utmost effect to their claim. Accordingly, we find the dignified clergy, who received large grants of land to be held on the fame tenures with the lands of the lay magiftrates, prefiding along with thofe magiftrates in the provincial affemblies of every degree in all the Gothic nations, and enjoying every advantage in point of rank and authority in their national diets. Hence the bishop of Rome, and feveral bishops in Germany, have, like the dukes and marquifes of that empire, been for a long time fovereign princes; and hence too the bishops of England and Ireland have always fat, and have an equal right with the lay peers to fit, in the upper houfe of parliament. It is however obvious, that, fo far as epifcopacy is of apoftolical inftitution, thofe peers and princes do not poffefs the original character in any higher degree than the bishops in America, who are barely tolerated, or than thofe in Scotland who do not enjoy that privilege; and that confirmation adminiftered, or

holy orders conferred, by a perfecuted prelate, must be as effectual to the purposes of religion, as if given by a German prince or an English peer, In this fhort view of epifcopacy, we have endea voured to do juftice to the subject, without being influenced by partiality or prejudice. As we are not epifcopalians, we have advanced nothing of our own; but have given from English writers, who have undertaken to defend the divine right of epifcopacy, such facts and arguments as appear to have the greatest weight. Among thele, we are particularly indebted to Dr Berkeley prebendary of Canterbury, and fon of the celebrated bishop of Cloyne; and to Mr Bingham's Origines Ecclefiaftice; a work in great repute with thofe English divines, who are commonly filed high churchmen. As editors of a work of this kind, it is not or business to be of any party, or to support, in oppofition to all others, a particular church, though that church fhould be our own: We fhall therefore treat INDEPENDENCY and PRESBYTERY as we have treated EPISCOPACY, by quoting the arguments advanced by fome able writers of each fociety in favour of his own cause. As moderation and charity are duties incumbent on every Chriftian, fo candour and impartiality are particularly incumbent on authors and editors. EPISCOPAL. adj. [from epifcopus, Latin.] 1. Belonging to a bishop.--The plot of difcipline fought to erect a popular authority of elders, and to take away epifcopal jurifdiction. Hooker. 2. Vested in a bishop.-The apoftie commands Titus not only to be a pattern of good works himfelf, but to ufe his epifcopal authority in exhorting every rank and order of men. Rogers.

(1.) EPISCOPALIANS, in church hiftory, an appellation given to those who prefer the epifcopal government and difcipline to all others. See EPISCOPACY. By the test a&t, none but Epifcopalians, or members of the church of England, are qualified to enjoy any office civil or military:an act which every liberal minded person must ale low to be a difgrace to the laws of England, as long as it remains unrepealed. The inconvenience arifing from it, even to the confcientious' part of the English clergy themselves, has been unanfwerably fet forth by Mr Beaufort in the Houfe of Commons, in 1787. See ENGLAND, 128.

(2.) EPISCOPALIANS, SCOTS, differ from thofe of England, upon Tome particular ecclefiaftical points. In an account of the epifcopal church of Scotland, drawn up by one of its members, it is obferved, that the real tenets of the Scots epifcopalians, or members of what was once the establifhed church of Scotland, feem to be very imperfectly understood. During the reformation from popery, there was little order or decency obferved in the worship of the reformed church; but this was abolished in the reign of James. VI. and epifcopacy established on very liberal principles. The epifcopal form of worthip now obtained the fanction of the moft refpectable part of the nation, and it continued to flourish under the patronage of government, till it was overthrown by the zealots for the NATIONAL COVENANT. It was however reftored in 1662, and prevailed in fome measure for 27 years, till through the influence of the advocates for the prince of Orange, it was a

The poem hath no other epifodes than fuch as naturally arife from the fubject. Addifon's Spectator. (2.) EPISODE. All the particular incidents whereof the action or narration is compounded, are alfo called epifodes. See POETRY.

}

EPISODICAL. adj. [from epifode.] Con* EPISODICK. tained in an episode; pertaining to an epifode.-Epifodical ornaments, fuch as defcriptions and narrations, were delivered to us from the obfervations of Aristotle. Dryden.-I discover the difference between the epijodick and principal action, as well as the nature of epifodes. Notes on the Odyffey

1.

(1.) * EPISPASTICK. adj. [ and srow.] Drawing. 2. Bliftering. This is now the more frequent, though lefs proper fenfe.-The matter ought to be folicited to the lower parts, by fomentations, bathing, epifpafticks, and. bliftering. Arbuthnot.

(2.) EPISPASTICS, n. f. in medecine, are topical remedies, which being applied to the external parts of the body, attract the humours to them. EPISTATE, in the Athenian republic, the prefident of the PROEDRI. See ATTICA, 5. EPISTEMONARCH, in the ancient Greek church, an officer of great dignity, who had the care of every thing relating to faith, in the quality of cenfor: The office was nearly fimilar to that of mafter of the facred palace at Rome (1.) EPISTLE. n. f. [zioan.] A letter. This word is feldom used but in poetry, or on occafions of dignity and folemnity.

When loofe epiftles violate chafte eyes, She half confents, who filently denies. Dryden. (2.) EPISTLE is now chiefly used in speaking of ancient writings, as the epiftles of St Paul, epiftles of Cicero, epiftles of Pliny, &c.

(3.) EPISTLES AND GOSPELS, in the liturgy of the church of England, are felect portions of fcripture, taken out of the writings of the evangelifts and apoftles, and appointed to be read, in the communion fervice, on Sundays and holidays. They are thought to have been felected by St Jerom, and by him put into the lectionary. It is certain, they were very anciently appropriated to the days whereon they are now read, as they are commented upon in the homilies of feveral ancient fathers, preached upon those days, to which thefe portions of Scripture are now affixed. See COLLECT, § 2.

EPISTLER. n. f. [from epistle.] A fcribbler of letters.

(1.) EPISTOLARY. adj. from epistle.] 1. Relating to letters; fuitable to letters. 2. Tranfacted by letters.-I shall carry on an epiftolary correfpondence between the two heads. Addifon. (2.) EPISTOLARY COMPOSITION. See LET

With wit and ftreagth, that only yields to thine Smith

(2.) EPITAPH is derived from s upon, and ", a fepulchre It has been difputed whether the ancient Jews infcribed epitaphs on the monuments of the dead; but it is certain, fome of very ancient date are found amongst them. The Athenians put only the name of the dead with the epithet ens good, or gas hero, and, the word xas, fignifying their good wifhes. The name of the deceafed's father and his tribe were frequently added. The Lacedemonians allowed epitaphs to none but those who had died in battle. The Romans infcribed their epitaphs to the manes dies, manibus; and frequently introduced the dead, by way of profopopoeia, fpeaking to the living; of which we have a fine inftance, worthy the Auguftan age, wherein the dead wife thus befpeaks her furviving hufband:

Immatura peri; fed tu, felicior, annos

Vive tuos. conjux optime, vive meos. The epitaphs of the prefent age are too often filled with fulfome compliments which were never merited, characters which human nature in its beft ftate could fcarce lay claim to, and expreffions of refpect which were never paid in the life time of the deceased. Hence the proverb, "He lies like an epitaph."

(3.) EPITAPH is alfo applied to certain eleges, either in profe or verfe, compofed without any intent to be engraven on tombs; as, That of Alexander,

Sufficit buic tumulus, cui non fufficeret orbis ; and that of Newton.

Ifaacum Newton,
Quen immortalem

Teflantur Tempus Natura, Cælum,
Mortalem hoc marmor

Fatetur.

(1.) EPITASIS, in ancient poetry, the ad part of a dramatic poem, wherein the plot, entered upon in the PROTASIS, or firft part, was carried on, heightened, and worked up, till it arrived at its ftate or height, called CATASTASIS.

(2.) EPITASIS, in medicine, the increase of a difeafe or beginning of a paroxyfm, particularly in a fever.

Darau]

(1.) EPITHALAMIUM. n.. [ A nuptial fong; a compliment upon marriage.I prefume to invite you to these facred nuptials: the epithalamium fung by a crowned mufe. Sandy's Paraphrafe. The forty-fifth pfalm is an epithalamium to Chrift and the church, or to the lamb and his fpoufe. Burnet.

(2.) The EPITHALAMIUM among the Jews, was fung at the door of the bride, by her friends and companions, the evening before the marriage. Among the Greeks it was fung as foon as the mar. ried couple were going to bed, and attended with fhouts and ftamping of the feet. They returned in the morning, and with the fame fong, a little altered, faluted them again. The evening fongs were called pia xopertixa; the morning talutes Tapi sysex. This was the practice amongst the Romans alfo, but the r epithalamia were often obfcene.

EPITHAURO. Se E:DAURU, N° 2. (1.) * EFI