were

bishops, bishops, archdeacons, officials, and deans were not invented." To the 10th of the questions proposed by Henry VIII. to his prelates, whether bishops or priests first, the archbishop of Canterbury replies; "the bishops and priests were at one time and were no two things; but both one office in the beginning of Christ's religion;" and others of his coadjutors agree with him in sense. The king's book* declares "of these two orders only, that is to say, priests and deacons, scripture maketh express mention, and how they were conferred by the apostles by prayer and imposition of hands." The pretension to a divine right of episcopacy seems indeed to have been first started in England by Dr. Bancroft, in 1588. The doctrine was then so new even to high church-, men, that Whitgift,† than whom no man was more tenacious of church authority, said he rather wished than believed it to be true Archbishop Usher, bish-. op Burnet, and indeed most of the more learned and moderate reformers, from the beginning of the reformation till the final check was put to it under Charles II. either denied or doubted the distinction between the orders of bishop and priest. What is very remarkable is, that in the very articles of that church, which now asserts this distinction of orders to be so vital to its constitution, this distinction is entirely overlooked in that part which treats of the institution

* This book was published in 1543, and was entitled; "A necessary erudition for a christian man.". It was drawn up by a committee of bishops and divines, and was afterwards read and approved by the lords spiritual and temporal and the lower house of parliament, and corrected by the king's own hand. (Neale's Hist. i. 79.)

† Says Whitgift, as quoted by How against Miller, p. 46; "There is no certain form of church government or discipline prescribed to the church, but the same may be altered as the profit of the churches requires. I do deny that the scriptures do set down any one certain kind of government in the church to be perpetual for all times, places and persons, without alteration."

The article, Art. 23d, runs thus; "It is not lawful for any man to take upon him the office of public preaching, or ministering the sacraments in the congregation, before he be lawfully called and

of ministers to their office, so doubtful a thing was the permanency of the existing organization thought to be. The divine right, (said Mr. Henderson in 1646, to the king, in the name of the clergy of Britain) "was not pleaded till of late by some few;" and in that year the hierarchy was abolished by act of parliament, the same authority by which it is now upheld. The christian liberty, thus recovered for a little season in England, had amidst the deluge of Romish impiety, been preserved, as in an ark, in the vallies of Piedmont, by a faithful sect, the Waldenses, who from the time of pope Sylvester, A. D. 316, at the latest, are known as a distinct community, and perhaps existed as such from the time of the apostles. It may appear from what we have stated, how singularly inaccurate is the assertion of Dr. Wyatt, in the sense which he attaches to the words authorized ministry, that "through the darkest days of the christian church, while so many other tenets became perverted or disguised, few ventured to assail, and none succeeded in setting aside, the authorized ministry of the church of Christ."

But another question will occur. Granting, it will be said, with the best of the early reformers, with the most judicious writers of later times in the English communion, such, for example, as King,* Chillingworth, Hoadly, Hammond, Paley,† Pretty man and

sent to execute the same. And those we ought to judge lawfully called and sent, which be chosen and called to this work by men who have public authority given unto them in the congregation to call and send ministers into the Lord's vineyard."

Such a studied indistinctness on a matter of such moment speaks for itself. How it appeared to one qualified in every respect to judge, may be inferred from the remark of Burnet, as quoted by Tomline, ii. 379, "They left this matter open and at large for such accidents as have happened, and such as might still happen."

*

By some inadvertency the inquiry into the constitution of the primitive church is ascribed in Mr. Sparks's work to archbishop King, The author was the chancellor, Sir Peter King.

† Paley reasons in favour of episcopacy, that it promotes good order, affords to men of all ranks religious instructors on a level

Locke, and (as we suppose we may be permitted to say) with the mass of churchmen in this country, that episcopacy is not a divine institution, why should we not also agree with them, that it ought to be acquiesced in and vindicated as conducive to religions order?* This question deserves a fair consideration; for whatever form of church polity will best protect and give efficacy to religious institutions, has a claim to the preference and support of christians.

Admitting, for the sake of the argument, that the system of ecclesiastical polity existing in the church of England, is of the wisest contrivance, there are other considerations to be attended to, before any. one can attach bimself to its communion. It is not recommendation sufficient to a society, that its government. is so constructed as to be powerful, unless the laws are also good and well administered; and let a man be ever so well satisfied, that the structure of a church government is such as to make it efficient, it still remains for his consideration, whether this is not overbalanced by its being oppressively exercised. If tests contrary to liberty of conscience are imposed, if assent to false articles of faith is exacted, or even if the authorized form of worship involves doctrines disbelieved or disputed, if it tends to superstition, or does not tend in the highest degree to edification, the go. vernment strong enough to protect such abuses is only the more to be avoided and condemned. To him who believes that it makes undue claims, it is a despotism; and he is bound none the less to seek his

with themselves, gives respectability to the priesthood, and offers prizes to exertion. He calls the gradations of clerical rank "rules of the society, rather than laws of the religion," and declares that "christianity may be professed under any form of church government."

An agument which may seem scarcely to correspond to the dignity of the subject, is used by Hey on Art. 23d. "If ministers be self ordained,-how can it be brought about that certain appearances, modes of dress and behaviour, shall be so associated with piety and virtue, as instantly to produce good feelings in the mind

christian liberty, because he admires the organization which oppresses him. Whether any such objection lies against the English church will be seen from our remarks on its articles and ritual.

We do not doubt that the episcopal form of polity is well adapted to maintain itself. It is well arranged and balanced to enlist and direct many strong human feelings; and we entered fully into the sentiment of an episcopal friend, who once expressed to us his admiration of a mechanism, which could work to such effect, when there was so little ability to direct its movements. But the true question is, is it strong to do right, and weak to do wrong. We grant that it makes dissent from certain obscure doctrines inconvenient, and dissatisfaction with certain arbitrary forms vexatious; but we believe we shall say without contradiction, that in no other denomination of christians is discipline in so low a state, We do not allude to such abuses as the absence of a large proportion of the clergy from their cures in England, where the same place is one of great hardship to him who does the duty, and in reality a sinecure to him who receives the emoluments, because it is not perhaps the ecclesiastical system, but the characters of the bishops which are answerable for this, and in our country we know nothing to the contrary of the episcopal superintendence being impartially and vigilantly exercised. But we speak of evils belonging to the system. It is with

these only we have to do; for in this country, in many instances we are sure, and in most we believe, the affairs of the church are conducted by conscientious men. We speak of the control over communicants, the only spiritual authority which is now exercised. To take the lowest ground, it is certainly the right of the members of a christian church to protect its reputation, and to guard against scandal by refusing to any, but persons of good lives and conversation, a participation with them of christian ordinances. instead of a good life and conversation, the condition of sharing in the most sacred act of christian fellow

But

ship, set forth in the formularies of a sect, which defines the church to be "a congregation of faithful persons," is the ability to repeat the creed, the Lord's prayer, and the ten commandments, and to answer to such other questions as in the short catechism are contained." A candidate who can stand this ordeal has a right to confirmation by the bishop, and the priest is liable to excommunication, if after this he refuse him the elements. In England an excommunicated person has an appeal to the chancellor, who is often a layman, and the decision of this officer is not subject to the review of the bishop. We need not say that we are not over much attached to narrow conditions of admission to christian privileges. But if there are to be any, let them be grounded on some evidence of desire to live a christian life, and not on the passport of a person who never saw the candidate, till he came to kneel under episcopal hands, and in all probability will never see him again.

Passing over many other objections which might be made, we cannot persuade ourselves that such a system is calculated to operate favourably on the character of the clergy. The highest order of them is placed in a situation of such influence and distinction, as to call no doubt for uncommon discipline of mind, to preserve that humility which becomes the servants of a meek and lowly Saviour. We doubt not (we say this in perfect sincerity) we doubt not, all precautions are taken against this tendency of the circumstances in which they find themselves placed. But agreeing with us, as all christian ministers must, that the prayer, "Lead us not into temptation," is a prayer which becomes a christian, they will join us in lamenting the danger, though it may appear to them overbalanced by other advantages. Much of what belongs to the

* If a churchman and a bishop is to be credited, this apprehension sometimes is realized. "I saw the generality of the bishops bartering their independence and the dignity of their order for the chance of a translation, and polluting gospel humility by the pride of prelacy." Watson's life, p. 62.