bled together in one place at Jerufalem, fuddenly there came a found from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, which filled all the house where they were fitting, fuch as awakened their deepest attention, and struck them with awe and astonishment. Then there appeared unto them, in a visible and glorious manner, cloven tongues of fire, which fat upon each of them. Then was imparted to them a rich variety of gifts and graces, and particularly a power of speaking inftantaneously all kinds of language, a provifion fo admirably calculated for the fpeedy propagation of the gofpel. "They "were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began "to fpeak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave "them utterance *." Different nations, Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mefopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Afia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and Profelytes, Cretes and Arabians, heard in their respective tongues the wonderful works of God, so that all were amazed and marvelled.

These things were not done in a corner; they did not affect obfcurity or ambiguity: They did not happen before a few select friends, who might be fufpected of fraud or partiality; they were tranfacted in open day, before promifcuous multitudes of people, in places of general concourse, at Jerufalem the capital of the nation.

The hiftory of the Christian Church may be now diftinguished by different æras, or divided into four grand periods.

The Firft will reach from the commencement of the original and primitive church planted at Jerufalem by the Apostles, to the time of the Empe

* Vide Acts chap. ii.

ror

ror Conftantine the Great, when the Roman empire became Chriftian. And this may be reckoned in the year 324, when the government of the whole V Roman empire both in the east and west, devolved upon this magnanimous Prince.

The Second, may reach from the time of Conftantine the Great, to the establishment of Papal hierarchy and tyranny. This may be reckoned in anno Domini 756, when Pepin King of France, and father of Charlemagne, annexed extenfive territory to the See of Rome, by which the Pope became a temporal Prince, tho' his power and jurifdiction were confiderable before.

The Third, will extend from the forefaid establishment of Papal authority, to the glorious æra of the Reformation. And this may be fixed anno Domini 1517, when the celebrated Luther began to make a public appearance against the Church of Rome.

The Fourth period, may run from the Reformation down to this present time.

The first period presents to our view the zealous efforts of the firft teachers of Christianity, its amazing progrefs in the world, its wonderful effects upon the profeffors of it, in reforming their faith. and practice, and fupporting them under ten grievous perfecutions, from the time of Nero, in the V year 64, after the birth of Chrift, till that under Diocletian, A. D. 303.

The first Christian church was properly founded by the Apostles themselves at Jerufalem. Although the bulk of the Jewish nation rejected the Meffiah, yet great numbers believed in him. A multitude of the priests and fcribes came to acknowledge him. Three thousand Jews were converted at one time by St. Peter, and daily there was a fresh acceffion of new members. Infallible authority in

forms

forms us, that "the word of God increased, and "the number of the difciples multiplied in Jeru"falem greatly, and a great company of the cc priests were obedient to the faith *"

Religion itself, fublime and fpiritual as it is, must be cloathed in part with external form, to give it a body, a vifibility, a refpectable character and fubfiftence in the world. Civil fociety cannot be preserved without order and government, fubordination and fupremacy. The Chriftian church has intimate alliance to both thefe; and befides its own facred and more folemn institutions, it must derive stability and fplendor from a steady and well regulated polity. The great lines of this are ftroked out in Scripture, our Saviour himself refers to the authority of the church, points out subordination in it, and establishes the grand fundamental rule of legal procedure, by two or three witneffest. Apoftolical precept and practice ferve farther to illuftrate the fubject, for the better modelling the frame of the Chriftian church.

The principal employment of the Apostles was to preach the gofpel. That they might attend to this important work with greater affiduity, they made choice of elders and deacons, whofe chief occupation it was to take care of the poor, to receive the oblations of the rich, and to affift in managing the civil affairs of the church, This burden was increased by the overflowing charity of the opulent to their indigent brethren. By this there was a kind of community in goods, and that only for fome time voluntarily established among the first Chriftians. The peculiar fituation of their circumftances fuggefted this measure as proper, though not required by their religion, nor obligatory on fucceeding times. Nay, I think it

*

evi

Acts vi. 7, vid. also ch. 2. † Mat. xviii. 15, 16, 17, 18.

evident even from apoftolic history, that this was but of fhort duration among the first converts themselves. This may be fafely inferred, from the frequent exhortations given to the rich, to communicate in part to the poor, from the frequent mention of thofe liberalities which were conveyed from one place to another, whilst the diftinctions of poor and rich were evidently maintained, and from the occafional voluntary fupplies, which St. Paul himself received from time to time. Nor can any inference be from hence drawn to the difadvantage of chriftianity, as if this would prove a bait and temptation to the poor to profess it, when by parity of reason, it would be an equal or greater difcouragement to the rich; not to. fpeak of the common calamities and hardships, in which all ranks of Chriftians were involved at that early period.

Although the Jewish converts might at first occafionally attend the fervice of the temple and of the fynagogue, and though they did not at once entirely renounce all the rites and ceremonies of the Mofaic law, though we find Paul himself * circumcifing Timothy, for the fake of the Jews, going into the temple, and purifying himself with fome who had taken a vow †, yet were they foon inftructed as to the comparative infignificancy of these outward obfervances, now that the fuperior light of the gospel had broke in amongst them, and that this new and more glorious difpenfation was to fuperfede the former. Thereupon they thought it proper to hold separate affemblies for divine worfhip by themselves, particularly on the first day of the week. In these the Scriptures were read, there they were explained in an evangelical manner, and applied in all their proper paffages with peculiar

C

* Acts xvi. 3. + Acts xxi. 23, 24, 26.

felicity

}

felicity to Jefus Christ *, the great object of faith and truft. They likewife joined together in pious prayer and pfalmody, finging devout fongs and fpiritual hymns to God and Christ. The practice of preaching the doctrine of the cross, and the great duties of the gospel was introduced, and they celebrated in a folemn manner the holy eucharist, the grand memorial of Christ's dying love; whilft the facrament of baptifm was dispensed as occafions offered, fometimes by immerfion, at other times by fprinkling.

Affairs of business relative to the external order and peace of the church, likewife demanded attention. These occafioned the conveening of feveral councils at Jerufalem, in order to judge and determine of matters. We find in particular, one affembly confifting of one hundred and twenty perfons, at the folemn election of Mathias into the Apostleship, to fupply the vacancy made by the apoftacy and fall of Judas Ifcariot. Upon another +occafion, the Apostles thought proper to conveen a multitude of the difciples, in order to appoint certain men of eminence and credit, to manage the miniftrations of charity with a prudent and impartial hand, when" they chose Stephen, a man "full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, "and Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and "Nicolas, a profelyte of Antioch."

A third affembly of the Apostles and elders was held upon a very important occafion. When the Gentiles embraced the Christian faith, some zealous Jews ftill misled by the prejudices of education, and impreffed with a veneration for the Mofaic

cere

*The Epiftle to the Hebrews, and feveral addreffes of the Apostles recorded in the book of Acts, may be confidered as a specimen.

+ Acts ch. i. Acts ch. vi. || Acts ch. xv.