ing hymns, the Lord's supper, and love feasts. Justin Martyr gives the following account of their manner of worship: "On the day which is called Sunday, all, whether dwelling in the towns or in the villages, hold meetings; and the memoirs of the apostles, and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as the time will permit; then, the reader closing, the President in a speech, exhorts and excites to an imitation of those excellent examples; then we all rise and pour forth united prayers; and when we close our prayers, as was before said, bread is brought forward, and wine and water; and the President utters prayers and thanksgiving, according to his ability, and the people respond by saying amen; and a distribution and participation of the things blessed, takes place to each one present, and to those absent, it is sent by the deacons. And those who are prosperous and willing, give what they choose, each according to his own pleasure; and what is collected, is deposited with the President, and he carefully relieves the orphans and widows, and those who from sickness or other causes are needy, and also those in prison, and the strangers that are residing with us, and in short all that have need of help. We all commonly hold our assemblies on Sunday, because it is the first day, on which God converted the darkness and matter, and framed the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour, on the same day, arose from the dead." Justin makes no mention here of singing as a part of the public worship of Christians. But Pliny in his epistle, assures us: "that they were accustomed to assemble on a certain day before light, and sing a hymn by turns among themselves to Christ as to a God," and both

the New Testament, and all antiquity, recognise singing, as part of Christian worship.'

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That there were no public prescribed Liturgies now in use, is manifest. We never find the expression, reading prayers," which afterwards. became current, used in this century, or for several subsequent centuries. On the contrary, officiating ministers are said to pour out prayers "according to their ability"—"with their utmost strength". to pray" from the heart" and " without a monitor." They are represented as praying with their hands lifted up, or stretched forth toward heaven;

with "the eyes of their bodies closed, and the eyes of their minds lifted up toward heaven." Surely these expressions preclude the possibility of prayers having been read from a prescribed form.

Anniversary festivals were observed in this century, in memory of the Saviour's death and resurrection; and of the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost;-one was called Easter, the other Whitsunday. Easter was so cailed from the Saxon goddess Eostre, whose festival was held in April. A dispute arose at an early period between the Eastern and Western churches about the time of celebrating Easter. The Asiatic churches kept it on the same day that the Jews kept their Passover, which was the fourteenth day, or full moon, of the first Jewish month; which might fall on any day of the week; the Latin churches kept Easter always on that Sunday which was the first after the same fourteenth day, or first full moon of the new year. The Jews began their ecclesiastical year with the new moon of March. This difference in the time of holding Easter, was the cause of much contention between the East and West, until it was finally settled by the Council of Nice, in favour of the Latin

mode, (A. D. 325.) Whitsunday or white sunday was so called because it was one of the stated times for the administration of baptism, when they who were baptized were clothed in white garments, in token of that spiritual purity they had obtained in baptism.

In the celebration of the Lord's supper, the bread and wine were consecrated with certain prayers uttered by the bishop of the congregation. The bread was broken into small pieces, and the wine mixed with water. Portions of the consecrated element were sent to the absent and the sick in token of fraternal affection. "There is much evidence, says Dr. Mosheim, "that this most holy rite was regarded as necessary to the attainment of salvation and I therefore dare not accuse of error, those who believe that the sacred supper was, in this century, given to infants."

Baptism was performed at Easter and Whitsun tide, by immersing the whole body in water in the name of the Trinity. Adults were required to repeat the Creed, to renounce all their sins with the devil and his pomp. The baptized were signed

with the cross, anointed, and commended to God by prayer and imposition of hands. They had milk and honey given them to eat, and were clothed in white garments, no other sponsors than parents were now known, nor for several centuries afterwards, if the parents were living, and professed to be Christians. If they were either dead, or deemed unqualified to offer their children in baptism, the children were presented for this ordinance by any who were willing to undertake their religious education. Baptism was called regeneration, and the sign began to be regarded as the thing signified.

The heretics of this century were chiefly of two classes-Jewish converts who adhered to the rules and ceremonies of the Mosaic law; and various tribes of Gnostics, who corrupted Christianity by combining with it different systems of heathen philosophy. Of the first were the Nazarenes, who adhered to the rites of Moses; and the Ebionites who not only adhered to the rites of Moses, but also to the traditions of the Elders, and also denied the Divinity of Christ. Of the Gnostics, were the followers of Marcion, Basilides, Valentinus, Tatian, &c. One Montanus pretended to be the Comforter, that Christ promised he would send. He attempted no change in doctrine, but professed to be commissioned to perfect the moral system taught by Christ and his disciples. He prescribed very rigid rules of life, forbid second marriages, refused to restore the lapsed, and discountenanced learning and philosophy. Among his followers were two very opulent ladies, Priscilla and Maxamilla, who with others, uttered prophecies after the example of their master, whom they called the Paraclete, or Comforter. This sect, which spread considerably, was advocated by Tertullian, a man of genius, but austere and gloomy by nature.

At the end of the second century, within a little more than one hundred and fifty years after the first preaching of the gospel, it is obvious to remark the changes already introduced into the Christian church. Christianity began already to wear the garb of heathenism. The seeds of most of those errors that afterwards so entirely overrun the church, marred its beauty, and tarnished its glory, were already beginning to take root. Ministerial parity, which had undoubtedly existed under the ministry of the apostles, was now beginning to yield to the en

croachments of ambition, and that distinction_of grades began to be established that ended in the Papal Hierarchy. That respect and sanctity begun to be ascribed to external austerities, that in after ages overrun the church with monachism. Ceremonies began to be added, which continued to increase, until, under papal authority, the whole of religion was made to consist of little else. But these things are easily accounted for, and are very congenial with the natural prejudices, passions, and pride of

man.

CENTURY III.

Persecution under Decius.-Boundaries of the church extended.-Learning.-Increase of the power and authority of bishops.-Writers.-Theology corrupted.Ceremonies multiplied.-Heresies.

In this century, the church enjoyed more favour and toleration in general from the Roman government than before; and several of the emperors even showed themselves friendly, so that they were supposed by some to have secretly embraced the Christian faith. Many Christians were to be found holding high offices both in the court and in the army; and under most of the emperors, no impediment lay in their way to the attainment of the highest public stations and honours. Yet they were liable to suffer great troubles from popular tumults, often excited against them by pagan priests; and also from magistrates and governors of provinces who were unfriendly to them, and whose avarice often led them to oppress the Christians in order to extort money from them. In this way, many suffered martyrdom, imprisonment,