ters in the opinion of this venerable author, who may be understood to express the prevailing opinion both at Rome and at Corinth. The epistle proceeds on the evident assumption, that both held the same ministerial office, and sustained the same relations to the people. He is remonstrating with the Corinthians for expelling certain presbyters from their bishopric, άnò τns inιoxoпns. “Clement himself," says Riddle, was not even aware of the distinction between bishops and presbyters-terms which in fact he uses as synonymous."61 Polycarp is our next witness. This father was familiar with those who had seen our Lord. He was the disciple of John the apostle, and is supposed by many to be the angel of the church at Smyrna, in Rev. 2: 8. Such was the respect in which his epistle was held by the primitive Christians, that it was publicly read in their churches until the fourth century. This valuable relic of antiquity, the date of which is usually assigned to the year 140, harmonizes in a remarkable degree with that of Clement, in recognizing but two orders of the clergy.62 The first it denominates presbyters. Bishops are not once named in all the epistle. These presbyters are represented as the inspectors and rulers of the church, having authority to administer its discipline, and to exercise all the functions of its highest officers. Nor is there the least intimation that any one has authority superior to theirs. As the author of the epistle, and apparently the presiding elder, the nooɛotos of the church, Polycarp opens the letter with the usual Christian salutation to the church whom he addresses, coupled with that of his fellow-presbyters. "Polycarp and the presbyters with him, to the church of God dwelling at Philippi, mercy to you, and peace be multiplied 61 Christ. Antiq. p. 5. Comp. Waddington's Church Hist., p. 35. Campbell's Lectures, p. 72. 62 Διὸ δέον απέχεσθαι ἀπὸ πάντων τούτων ὑποτασσομένους τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις και διακόνοις ὡς Θεῷ καὶ Χριστῷ.—d. Phil. c. 6. from God Almighty, and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour." Paul in his salutation addressess the bishops and deacons of this church. Polycarp in his, speaks only of presbyters and deacons. If there were three orders of clergy at Philippi, the omission of one by the apostle, and another by this apostolical father is unaccountable. The advice of Polycarp to the church "to be subject to the presbyters and deacons," becomes particularly irrelevant and improper, on the supposition, that the government of the church was vested in a bishop. The conclusion, therefore, is inevitable, that bishop and presbyter were still used interchangeably; and that both Paul and Polycarp speak of the same class of officers. Clement and Polycarp were contemporaries and survivors of the apostles. They resided, the one at Rome; the other, in Asia Minor. They represent distinct portions of the Christian church, remote from each other, and widely different in language, in government, and in national peculiarities. The ecclesiastical polity of these four churches may fairly be assumed as an example of the usage of others at this time. So far as we can ascertain from the writings of these fathers, no office existed in the churches either of Rome, Corinth, Smyrna, or Philippi, superior to that of presbyter; nor is there any indication of diversity of order, degree, ordination, or power, between the several presbyters or bishops of those churches; save that of senior or moderator, the noɛotos of their body. It is also particularly noticeable, that Polycarp specifies the qualifications necessary both for deacons,63 and for presbyters ;64 and, like Paul, the apostle, on a similar occasion, Tit. 1: 5-9, makes no mention of what is proper in the conduct and character of a bishop. Justin Martyr, the Christian philosopher, who suffered martyrdom A. D. 165, two years before the death of Polycarp, offers further confirmation of these views of the sub64 Ep. c. 6. 63 Ep. c. 5. ject. A native of Samaria in Palestine and converted to Christianity at Ephesus, he travelled in Egypt and visited most of the Christian churches in every part of the Roman empire, residing also for a long time at Rome. We may therefore expect from him the most exact and certain knowledge of the doctrine and usages of the second century. We may be assured that he understood the government and worship of the church. That the information which Justin gives respecting the christian church was strictly and universally true, we have the fullest assurance from the learning, the candor and the piety of the author, and from the fact that he speaks from personal knowledge as an itinerating christian counsellor and teacher. Never himself holding any clerical office, his relations to the church, his learning, his candor, his piety, his extensive travels, and his death, all concur to render him an unexceptionable witness. In his description of public worship, after mentioning prayers and the fraternal salutation, he says,-" There is brought to him who presides over the brethren, τῷ προεστῶτι τῶν ἀδελφῶν, bread and a cup of water, and wine; and he, taking them, offers up praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and the Holy Ghost, and renders thanks for these, his gifts. At the close of his petition and thanksgivings, all the people present say Amen; which, in the Hebrew language, signifies so may it be. And he who presides, having given thanks, and the whole assembly having expressed their assent, they who are called among us deacons, duúxovot, distribute the bread, and the wine, and water to each of those who are present, to partake of that which has been blessed. Also they carry to those who are not present."65 63 Αδελφοὶ κοινὰς εὐχὰς ποιησόμενοι ὑπέρ τε ἑαυτῶν καὶ τοῦ φωτισθέντος καὶ ἄλλων πανταχοῦ πάντων εὐτόνως. ἀλλήλους φιλήματι ἀσπαζόμεθα παυσάμενοι τῶν εὐχῶν. ἔπειτα προσφέρεται τῷ προεστῶτι τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἄρτος καὶ ποτήριον ὕδατος καὶ His testimony, in the passage above cited, is that two orders only officiated in their public worship and in their celebration of the eucharist. Soon after this, he again describes their mode of public worship, and of communion, and specifies the same officiating officers, the president of the brethren, and the deacons.66 Nothing occurs, either in the narrative, or in the distinctive epithet, to indicate any higher order or office than that of the officiating presbyter who conducted their worship and administered the sacrament; or if you call him bishop, he is still of the same order, distinguished clearly from the deacons, but differing in no wise from the order of presbyters. Upon the import of this 700867os, of Justin, about which so much is said, the following remarks of Milton are worthy of particular consideration :-" Now for the word 7008070s, it is more likely that Timothy never knew the word in that sense. It was the vanity of those next succeeding times not to content themselves with the simplicity of Scripture phrase, but must make a new lexicon to name themselves by; one will be called 70086τós, or antistes, a word of precedence; another would be termed a gnostic, as Clemens; a third, sacerdos, or priest, and talks of altars; which was a plain sign that their doctrine began to change, for which they must change their expressions. But that place of Justin Martyr serves rather to convince the author, than to make for him, where the name 700867as tav adelgar, the presi κράματος, καὶ οὗτος λαβὼν, αἶνον καὶ δόξαν τῷ πατρὶ τῶν ὅλων, διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου, ἀναπέμπει καὶ εὐχαριστίαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ κατηξιώσθαι τούτων παρ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ πολὺ ποιεῖται, οὐ συντελέσαντος τὰς εὐχὰς καὶ τὴν εὐχαριστίαν, πᾶς ὁ παρών λαὸς ἐπευφημεῖ λέγων, Αμην.-εὐχαριστήσαντος δὲ τοῦ προεστῶτος, καὶ ἐπευφημήσαντος παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ, οἱ κελούμενοι παρ' ἡμῖν διάκονοι, διδύασιν ἑκάστῳ τῶν παρόντων μεταλαβεῖν. —Apol., 1. c. 65. p. 82. Comp. Semisch's Justin Martyr. Trans. Edinburgh 1843. Vol. I. pp. 28-9. 66 Apol. 1. c. 67. p. 83. dent or pastor of the brethren (for to what end is he their president but to teach them?) cannot be limited to signify a prelatical bishop, but rather communicates that Greek appellation to every ordinary presbyter; for there he tells what the Christians had wont to do in their several congregations, to read and expound, to pray and administer, all which he says the 700807άs, or antistes did. Are these the offices. only of a bishop, or shall we think that every congregation where these things were done, which he attributes to this 'antistes,' had a bishop present among them? unless they had as many antistites' as presbyters, which this place rather seems to imply; and so we may infer even from their own alleged authority, that antistes was nothing else but presbyter.'"'67 Having now passed the middle of the second century, and found, thus far, only two orders in the church, we may fairly conclude that such was the organization adopted by the apostles. This early and uniform usage is a fair exposition of their authority and example. But the evidence already adduced is corroborated by other authorities. Irenaeus, a Greek, of Asia Minor, was in his youth a hearer of the venerable Polycarp, the disciple of John. He spent his advanced life in Gaul, at Lyons, and died about the commencement of the third century, probably A. D. 202. Speaking of Marcion, Valentinus, Cerinthus, and other heretics, he says:-"When we refer them to that apostolic tradition, which is preserved in the churches, through the succession of their presbyters, these men oppose the tradition; pretending that, being more wise than, not only the presbyters, but the apostles themselves, they have found the uncorrupted truth."68 Continuing the same course of reasoning, 67 Milton's Prelatical Episcopacy, Prose Works, Vol. I. p. 76. 68 Cum autem ad eam iterum traditionem, quae est ab Apostolis, quae per successiones Presbyterorum in ecclesiis custoditur, provocamus eos adversantur traditioni, dicentes, se non solum Presbyteris, |