thority, in governing and infpecting, each his own particular diocefe, as well as in promoting and preferving the peace, unity and order of the whole body of Christians. According to this plan of church government, fo exactly fimilar to that which was established on a smaller scale, under the Levitical priesthood, we find St. Paul, in that folemn charge which he gave to Timothy, when appointed bishop of the church in Ephefus, putting him in mind, among many other things, that "he should lay "hands fuddenly on no man; that he should re"ceive no accufation against a prefbyter, but before "two or three witneffes; and that the deacons in "his church fhould be men of fober and orderly "converfation." Here we have a plain intimation of what was then, and afterwards to be, the form of ecclefiaftical administration. We fee the officers of the church diftinguifhed by their respective ftations; the bishop as governor and infpector of a particular portion of it, answering to the high-priest under the law; and the prefbyters and deacons, fubordinate ministers in it, like the priests and levites: And where we find these orders of minifters duly appointed, the word of God preached, and his facraments regularly adminiftered, there we find the church of Chrift, with its form, its authority, and every thing that is effential to its nature and conftitution.

"The wifdom of God," fays an admirable writer on this fubject, "is here very evident, in appoint

"ing the orders of the Chriftian ministry after the "pattern of the Jewish church, which was of his "own appointment fo long before. That there "might be no uncertainty in a cafe of fuch confequence to the fouls of men, there was no novel

66

ty, but a continuation of the like adminiftration "with that which had all along been known and ac"knowledged in the church. Aaron was an high

priest, with a miniftry peculiar to himself; under "him there was an order of priests, twenty-four in "number, who ferved by courfe in the daily facri"fices and devotions of the tabernacle and temple; "and these were affifted by the whole tribe of the "Levites. As the law had its paffover, its baptifms, "its incense, its facrifices, its confecrations, its be"nedictions, all to be realized under the facraments "and offerings of the gofpel, fo its miniftry was "but a pattern of the miniftry which is now "amongst us, and we cannot mistake the one, if

66

we have an eye to the other; fuch is the goodness "of God in directing us, through all the confufions "of the latter days, by a rule of fuch great antiqui

ty, to the way of truth, and keeping us in it."*

"ty,

God

See Mr. Jones' Effay on the Church, a tract moft warmly recommended by two very competent judges of its merit, the late Dr. Horne, bishop of Norwich, and Dr. Horfley, now bifhop of St. Afaph, who, in the charge which he delivered at his fecond general vifitation of the diocefe of Rochefter, in the year 1800-thus addreffes his clergy-"When by affiduity in "your public and private ministry; by the purity of your lives, and the "foundness of your doctrine, you have gained the good will and efteem of "your parishioners, they will be ready to give you their attention upon a

.

But

God has many ways of directing us to what is right, but none more inftructive, than the beautiful order and striking uniformity to be observed through all his difpenfations of grace and mercy, and particularly in thofe, which are connected with the care and government of his church. There it is that men are to look for the "old paths," the good and approved way of God's appointment, that they may walk therein, and find reft to their fouls. this can never be the cafe, if they take delight in following the endless innovations of latter times, and instead of seeking reft in God's way, and according to his direction, are content to wander about in ways of their own devifing, and will never allow their fouls to reft on the bafis of true religion. New fchemes of faith, and falfe fyftems of duty are daily recommended to men's deluded fancies, and notwithstanding all that has been faid, (and much has been

"

"fubject, upon which the people of this country in general, much want good "teaching: I mean the nature of the church, the neceflity of church communion, and the danger of fchifm. Upon thefe points I know nothing “fo well calculated for general edification, as a tract, intituled—An Essay on "the Church, by the late Rev. William Jones, fome time of Pluckley in this

county, but last of Nayland in Suffolk. It has lately been reprinted in a "small fize and at a cheap rate, by the Society for promoting Chriftian know"ledge, of which the author had been many years a most useful member.— "Of that faithful fervant of God, I can fpeak, both from perfonal knowledge, and from his writings. He was a man of quick penetration, of extenfive learning, and the foundeft piety. And he had, beyond any other "man I ever knew, the talent of writing upon the deepest fubjects to the "plaineft understandings. He is gone to his reft, and his works, we trust, "follow him. His Catbolic Doctrine of the Trinity, and this Essay on the *Church, cannot have too wide a circulation."

been written with great clearness of reasoning,) to fhew, that the constitution of God's church must be ever confidered, as the inftituted means of preferving and conveying the precious doctrines of falvation, from the beginning to the end of time, it is still pretended, that the fcriptures of truth give us no information on this interefting fubject, and prescribe no particular form of ecclefiaftical polity "as "neceffary, or even more acceptable to God than "another."

In the lectures on ecclefiaftical history, of which we have already taken fome notice, it is affirmed, and "will be owned," fays the author, "by thofe

who, on this fubject, are capable of examining "with coolness, and pronouncing with impartiality, "that we have not that fort of information in holy "writ, from which we can with certainty form a "judgment, concerning the entire model of the

apoftolic church What we can learn thence on "this fubject, we must collect from fcattered hints

given, as it were, incidentally, when nothing "feemed lefs the intention of the writers, than to

convey to us a particular account of the plan of "the fociety they had formed."* Whether there

be

any truth in this obfervation, or how much regard is due to it, may be eafily inferred from what has been, in the foregoing pages, very briefly stated refpecting the "information," which may certain

Dr. Campbell's Lectures, &c. vol. I. p. 96.

ly

ly be obtained from the writings of the New Testaftament, "by those who are capable of examining "with coolnefs." And were there even lefs to be found, than is really contained in the facred records on the fubject of church government, the conclufion to be drawn from this feeming filence on a matter of fuch importance, would be very different from that, which this theological teacher has attempted to draw from it. If fuch of the apostles as were employed in writing the gospels and epiftles that go by their respective names, did not think it neceffary to mention in exprefs and pofitive terms, the plan of the fociety which they had formed on the model laid down by their bleffed Mafter, it is to be remembered, that the government of the church was then in the hands of the apoftolic college, and the form and manner in which it was administered, being visible to all who had any concern with it, there was no more occafion for telling them what that form of government was, than there would be now, in enforcing a proper behaviour on the fubject of this united kingdom, to tell them, that they were governed by a King, affifted in his legiflative capacity by the Lords and Commons in parliament affembled.

Of that which is daily exhibited in practice, there feems to be no neceflity for a minute defcription in theory; and as the practice of the apoftles, under the immediate direction of the Holy Spirit, was perfectly fufficient to fhew how the church was then go

verned,