The spread of the Christian religion in the first century, is truly wonderful; and can be accounted for only on the supposition, that it was the Lord's doing. "The cause must have been divine that enabled men, destitute of all human aid, poor, friendless, neither eloquent nor learned, fishermen, publicans, and moreover Jews, that is, persons odious to all other nations, in so short a time, to persuade so great a part of mankind to abandon the religions of their fathers, and to embrace a new religion, which is opposed to the natural dispositions of men." In the hands of these weak, but heaven commissioned, and heaven directed instruments, the gospel was the "power of God, and the wisdom of God unto salvation." They were no doubt much aided in exciting an interest, and making an impression upon the minds of men, and in stopping the mouths of gainsayers, by the miraculous powers with which they were endowed. Their general want of human learning was no doubt more than compensated by the extraordinary influences of the Holy Spirit which were afforded to them, and the gift of tongues by which they were enabled to speak languages which they had never learned. Their humble, devoted, blameless lives too, would gain them credit and influence. But nothing will account for the extraordinary spread of the gospel, opposing as it did, the passions, prejudices, and worldly interests of all men, but the supposition that it was accompanied by the mighty power of God. It was "mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong holds."

The organization of the church by the apostles, and during the first century, was most simple; and

seems to have been modelled after the form of the Jewish Synagogue. The officers were,*

1. Elders or Bishops, who laboured in word and doctrine. These were their public teachers–the pastors of churches, who led in their worshipping assemblies, and publicly instructed the people. Of these there were frequently several in the same church, especially the large churches collected in the principal cities. They seem to have stood upon a perfect parity or equality of office; except that, for the sake of order, one was chosen president or moderator. This president was sometimes called the angel of the church, as a similar officer in the Jewish Synagogue was called angel or messenger. To this angel of each of the seven Asiatic churches, are the several epistles in the Revelation addressed. These bishops or pastors of churches were chosen by the people, on account of their wisdom, piety, and aptness to teach; and were regularly set apart to their office by the "laying on of the hands of the Presbytery." We may suppose that they were generally supported by the people among whom they laboured; according to the particular direction of Christ and his apostles on this head.

2. Elders who ruled-who assisted in the government and discipline of the church; but who did not engage in the business of public instruction. There was a similar class of officers in the Jewish Synagogues, called Rulers of the Synagogue. These lay elders might be properly regarded as the representatives of the people, and the guardians of their rights. Their business was to inspect the conduct of the members, to keep order in their public assemblies, and to assist the bishops in the

* See Appendix, No. 1.

proper administration of the ordinances and discipline of the church.*

3. Deacons; who were the public servants of the church, who managed its secular concerns, and had particular oversight of the funds, and the charities of the church.

The forms of worship in the first century, were plain and simple. Their public assemblies were held on the first day of the week, commonly in private houses, or in some building appropriated to that purpose. There is no account of churches built and consecrated to the worship of God, sooner than about the beginning of the third century. These meetings, in time of persecution, were ofteu after night, or before day in the morning. Here prayers were offered, the Scriptures read, short addresses made to the people by their public teachers, the Lord's supper was celebrated, accompanied with the singing of hymns; and the whole was closed with free will offerings of money or provisions to their common stock, and the feast of charity. This feast of charity seems to have been intended for the benefit of the poor. They who were wealthy, and could afford it, brought something with them, on which they made a common meal; the poor, and strangers, who could bring nothing, being allowed a full share. Converts seem to have been admitted to the communion of the church upon a simple profession of their faith.

Even in this first century, several errors made their appearance, and heresies began to spring up. A difference of opinion very early arose between the Jewish and gentile converts, about the neces

*See on this subject, Dr. Miller's Essay on the Nature, &c. of Ruling Elders.

sity of an observance of the rules of the Mosaic law. This subject called together the first council or synod, which was held by the apostles at Jerusalem, and decided upon this question, as we read in the 15th chap. of Acts.

"At the head of all the sects," says Dr. Mosheim, "which disturbed the peace of the church, stand the Gnostics. Under this appellation, are included all those in the first ages of the church, who modified the religion of Christ, by joining with it the Oriental philosophy, in regard to the source of evil, and the origin of this material universe." They were divided into a number of particular sects or parties, but seem to have held the following errors in common. They taught that Jesus Christ is inferior to the Father; that he did not possess a real body, and consequently did not really suffer; that evil dwells essentially in matter; and therefore they denied the future resurrection of the body, and enjoined severe bodily penances and mortifications, and many other notions of like character, derived from that false philosophy which they professed, and upon which they attempted to ingraft Christianity.

When Jews were converted to Christianity, it was natural that they should still retain some leaning towards the opinions they had formerly entertained, and a partiality for their old ceremonies and institutions. These prejudices, which are natural to the human mind, would not fail to give to Christianity a peculiar model among Jewish converts, suitable to their particular views and feelings. A spice of the old leaven still retained, would leaven the new lump. This thing we find the apostles. often labouring to correct; and the whole epistle to the Hebrews seems mainly designed for this pur

pose. In like manner, when heathen converts were received in the church, it was natural they should bring with them some taint of their old philosophy, and former superstitions; and some fondness for the rites and ceremonies of their idolatrous worship. Long established opinions are seldom entirely eradicated, and old habits, with which we have been brought up, are not likely to be totally renounced. And sometimes the teachers of religion were too indulgent to those prejudices; and in order that the gospel might be the less offensive, tolerated in their new converts, opinions and practices little consistent with it. An indulgent feeling of this sort was natural, and duly regulated, was very proper. Thus Paul was made "all things to all men, that by all means he might save some." But the principle was often carried too far. From these sources, therefore, we shall find, spring up most, if not all the errors and heresies that deformed the beauty, and marred the peace of the church, during the first three or four centuries, Some of them were Jewish, but most of them of heathen origin; and all proceeded from the same source, a fondness for old opinions and practices, and a disposition to yield as far as possible to these Jewish and heathen prejudices, and thus in a good degree, to remove the offence of the cross. Indeed we shall find, that when Christianity became the established religion of the Roman Empire, and took the place of paganism, it assumed, in a great degree, the forins and rites of paganism, and participated in no small measure of its spirit also. Christianity as it existed in the dark ages, might be termed, without much impropriety of language, baptized paganism.

Of the Gnostics above named, in this century,