did by prayer, by advice and counsel, by messengers sent with salutations, exhortations, consolations, supplies for the poor, and on all the like occasions. By these means, and by the exercise of that mutual love and care which they were obliged unto, they kept and preserved unity and communion among themselves, gave a common testimony against any thing that in doctrine or practice deviated from the rule and discipline of Christ. This order, with peace and love thereon, continued among them, until pride, ambition, desire of rule and pre-eminence, in Diotrephes, and a multitude of the same spirit with him, began to open a door unto the entrance of the mystery of iniquity, under pretence of a better order, than this which was of the appointment of Christ.

3. It must be acknowledged, that notwithstanding this equality among all churches, as unto their state and power, that there were great differences between them, some real and some in reputation, which not being rightly managed, proved an occasion of evil in and unto them all. For instance :

(1.) Some were more eminent in spiritual gifts than others. As this was a privilege that might have been greatly improved unto the honour of Christ and the gospel, yet we know how it was abused in the church of Corinth, and what disorders followed thereon: so weak and frail are the best of men, so liable unto temptation, that all pre-eminence is dangerous for them, and often abused by them; which I confess makes me not a little admire to see men so earnestly pleading for it, so fearlessly assuming it unto themselves, so fiercely contending that all power and rule in the church belongs unto them alone. But,

(2.) Reputation was given unto some, by the long abode of some of the apostles in them; of this advantage we find nothing in the Scripture; but certain it is it was much pleaded and contended about among the primitive churches; yea, so far until by degrees disputes arose about the places where this or that apostle fixed his seat; which was looked on as a pre-eminence for the present, and a security for the future. But yet we know how soon some of them degenerated from the church-order and discipline, wherein they were instructed by the apostles. See Rev. ii, and iii.

(3.) The greatness, power, fame, or civil authority of the place or city where any church was planted, gave it an advantage and privilege in reputation above others. And the churches planted in such cities were quickly more numerous in their members than others were, unless men strictly kept themselves unto the force of primitive institutions, it was very hard for them to think and judge, that a church, it may be in a small village or town in Galilee, should be equal with that at Jerusalem or at Antioch, or afterward at Rome itself. The generality of men easily suffered themselves to be persuaded that those churches were advanced in state and order, far above the other obscure poor congregations. That there should be a church at Rome, the head city of the world, was a matter of great joy and triumph unto many, and the advancement of it in reputation they thought belonged unto the honour of our religion. Howbeit there is not in the Scripture the least regard expressed unto any of these things, of place, number, or possibility of outward splendour, either in the promises of the presence of Christ in and with his churches, or in the communication of power and privileges unto them. Yet such an improvement did this foolish imagination find, that after those who presided in the churches called in the principal cities, had tasted of the sweetness of the bait which lay in the ascription of a preeminence unto them, they began openly to claim it unto themselves, and to usurp authority over other churches, confirming their own usurpation by canons and rules, until a few of them in the council of Nice began to divide the Christian world among themselves, as if it had been conquered by them. Hence proceeded those shameful contests that were among the greater prelates about their pre-eminency; and hence arose that pretence of the bishops of Rome, unto no less a right of rule and dominion over all Christian churches, than the city had over all the nations and cities of the empire, which being carried on by all sorts of evil artifices, as by downright forgeries, shameless intrusions of themselves, impudent laying hold of all advantages unto their own exaltation, prevailed at length unto the utter ruin of all church-order and worship. There is no sober history of the rise and growth by several degrees of any city, com

monwealth, or empire, that is filled with so many instances of ambitious seeking of pre-eminence, as our church stories

are.

By this imagination were the generality of the prelates in those days, induced to introduce and settle a government in and among the churches of Christ, answering unto the civil government of the Roman empire. As the civil government was cast into national, or diocesan, or provincial, in less or greater divisions, each of which had its capital city, the place of the residence of the chief civil governor; so they designed to frame an image of it in the church, ascribing an alike dignity and power unto the prelates of those cities, and a jurisdiction extending itself unto nations, dioceses, and provinces. Hereby the lesser congregations, or parochial churches, being weakened in process of time, in their gifts and interest, were swallowed up in the power of the others, and became only inconsiderable appendices unto them, to be ruled at their pleasure. But these things fell out long after the times which we inquire into; only their occasion began to present itself unto men of corrupt minds from the beginning: but we have before at large discoursed of them.

(4.) Some churches had a great advantage in that the gospel, as the apostle speaks, went forth from them,' unto others. They in their ministry were the means first of the conversion of others unto the faith, and then of their gathering into a church-state, affording them assistance in all things they stood in need of. Hence these newly-formed churches, in lesser towns and villages, had always a great reverence for the church by whose means they were converted unto God, and stated in church-order. And it was meet that so they should have. But in process of time, as these lesser churches decreased in spiritual gifts, and fell under a scarcity of able guides, this reverence was turned into obedience and dependance; and they thought it well enough to be under the rule of others, being unable well to rule themselves.

On these and the like accounts there was quickly introduced an inequality among churches, which by virtue of their first institution were equal as unto state and power.

4. Churches may admit of many variations, as unto their outward form and order, which yet change not their state, nor cause them to cease from being congregational. As,

(1.) Supposing that any of them might have many elders or presbyters in them, as it is apparent that most of them had, yea, all that are mentioned in the Scripture had so; Acts ii. 30. xiv. 23. xv. 6. 22, 23. xvi. 4. xx. 17, 18. xxi. 18. Phil. i. 1. 1 Tim. v. 17. Tit. i. 5. they might, and some of them did, choose out some one endued with especial gifts, that might in some sort preside amongst them, and who had quickly the name of bishop appropriated unto him. This practice is thought to have had its original at Alexandria, and began generally to be received in the third century: but this changed not the state of the church; though it had no divine warrant to authorize it. For this order may be agreed unto among the elders of a particular congregation, and sundry things may fall out, inclining unto the reception of it. But from a distinct mention (if any such there be) in the writings of the second century of bishops and presbyters to fancy metropolitical and diocesan churches, is but a pleasant dream.

(2.) The members of these churches that were great and numerous, being under the care and inspection of their elders in common, might for the ordinary duty of divine worship meet in parts or several actual assemblies, and they did so especially in time of persecution. Nothing occurs more frequently in ecclesiastical story, than the meetings of Christians, in secret places, in private houses, yea, in caves and dens of the earth, when in some places it was impossible that the whole body of the church should so assemble together. How this disposition of the members of the church into several parts, in each of which some elder or elders of it did officiate, gave occasion unto the distinction of greater churches into particular titles or parishes, is not here to be declared; it may be so elsewhere: but neither yet did this alter the state of the churches, from their original institution. For, ⚫ (3.) Upon all extraordinary occasions, all such as concerned the whole church, as the choice of elders, or the deposition of them, the admission or exclusion of members, and the like, the whole church continued to meet together, which practice was plainly continued in the days of Cyprian, as we shall see afterward; neither doth it appear but that during the first two hundred years of the church, the whole body of the church did ordinarily meet together in one place, for

the solemn administration of the holy ordinances of worship, and the exercise of discipline.

Wherefore, notwithstanding these and other the like variations from the original institution of churches, which came in partly by inadvertency unto the rule, and partly were received from the advantages and accommodations which they pretended unto, the state of the churches continued congregational only for two hundred years, so far as can be gathered from the remaining monuments of those times. Only we must yet add, that we are no way concerned in testimonies or sayings taken from the writings of those in following ages as unto the state, way, and manner of the churches in this season, but do appeal unto their own writings only; this is the great artifice whereby Baronius in bis Annals would impose upon the credulity of men, an apprehension of the antiquity of any of their Roman inventions; he affixeth them unto some of the first ages, and giving some countenance unto them, it may be from some spurious writings, lays the weight of confirmation on testimonies and sayings of writers, many years, yea, for the most part, ages afterward, for it was and is of the latter ages of the church, wherein use and custom have wrested ecclesiastical words to other significations than at first they were applied unto, to impose the present state of things among them, on these who went before who knew nothing of them.

I shall therefore briefly inquire into what representation is made of the state of the churches by the writers themselves, who lived in the season inquired after, or in the age next unto it, which was acquainted with their practice.

That which first offereth itself unto us, and which is an invaluable testimony of the state of the first churches immediately after the decease of the apostles, is the epistle of Clemens Romanus unto the brethren of the church of Corinth. This epistle, according to the title of it, Irenæus ascribes unto the whole church at Rome, and calls it, 'potentissimas literas; sub hoc Clemente dissensione non modica inter eos qui Corinthi erant fratres facta scripsit quæ est Romæ ecclesia, potentissimas literas;' lib. 3. cap. 3. By Eusebius it is termed μεγάλη καὶ θαυμασία, great and admirable;' who also affirms that it was publicly read in some churches; Eccles. Hist. lib. 3. cap. 14. And again he calls