HISTORY OF THE CHURCH OF CHRIST, FROM THE DAYS OF THE APOSTLES, TO THE YEAR 1551, ABRIDGED FROM THE FIVE FIRST VOLUMES OF MILNER'S CHURCH HISTORY. BY REV. JESSE TOWNSEND, A. B. UTICA: PUBLISHED BY CAMP, MERRELL & CAMP, Genesee Street. MERRELL AND CAMP, PRINTERS. 1816, BR145 577631 Northern District of New York, to wit: Be it remembered, that on the fifteenth day of February, in the fortieth year of the Independence of the United States of America, TALCOTT CAMP, IRA MERRELL & GEORGE CAMP, of the said district, have deposited in this office the title of a book the right whereof they claim as proprietors, in the words following, to wit: "The History of the Church of Christ, from the days of the Apostles, to the year 1551, abridged from the five first volumes of Milner's Church History. By Rev. JESSE TOWNSEND, A B." In conformity to the act of the Congress of the United States entitled, “An act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned,” and also to an act entitled, “An act supplementary to an act, entitled an act for the encouragement of learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the time therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of design.ng, engraving and etching historical an 1 other prints. RICHARD R. LANSING, Clerk of the Northern District of New York. TO THE PUBLIC. THE publishers are bound to offer an apology for some delay in the publication of the ABRIDGMENt of MILNER. The only one they can offer is, that the occurrence of events unforeseen and uncontrollable by them, has rendered ineffectual their strenuous exertions to ensure its earlier appearance. WHILE they regret the necessity of any excuse, they trust, this, in the estimation of the candid and generous, will be sufficient. HISTORIES of the church have always been regarded as most interesting and valuable works. The multitude of marvellous events that have happened to it, its vicissitudes, its dangers and sufferings, its disasters and successes, its miraculous preservation and progress, cannot fail to excite the wonder and admiration of mankind, the poignant regret and grief of its enemies, the lively joy and gratitude of its friends.To become acquainted with these facts must be an object of peculiar and earnest desire with all true believers in christianity. The size and expense of general histories of the church, have locked up their abundant treasures from many readers whose piety made them especially anxious to acquire a portion of those exhaustless riches. In this Abridgment, it has been a principal object to retain the material and most interesting facts, that the value of the original work might be preserved, and the price and size so reduced that the former should not surpass the ability of those who are desirous to purchase, and the latter not require more time and attention in perusal than they can easily bestow. These objects they hope will be fully accomplished, and the work in its present form prove extensively useful. That it may be satisfactory to the public, and beneficial to the interests of religion, is the sincere desire of THE PUBLISHERS. |