RAR and disorder in the church, is moreover destructive of that charity or brotherly love, by which it was defigned that Christians should be joined together. In the epiftle of ST. JUDE mention is made of those who " perished in the gainfaying of CORE," even those who separated themselves, being fenfual, having not the Spirit. From whence it is to be concluded, that there is a fin in the Christian church, answering to that of KORAH in the Jewish; fome resemblance, confequently, there must be between the two churches, to justify, in this cafe, the Apoftle's application: for if there were not, the method adopted by the Apostles and primitive writers, of inaking the law minister to the explanation of the Gofpel, by confidering the former as the intended. type of the latter, (a complete fpecimen of which we are presented with in the Epistle to the Hebrews) would have been calculated, not fo much to inform as to lead their difciples into error. By referring to the fixteenth chapter of the Book of Numbers, we find in what the fin of KORAH confifted. KORAH conformed to the law, the doctrine, and worship, which GOD had appointed; for we do not read that there was any difpute upon either of thefe points. But KORAH, being a priest of an inferior order, wanted to encroach upon the authority of AARON the high-priest, and to continue no longer under fubjection to him. The fin, therefore, of KORAH confifted in his rebelling against the order of government established in that church, of which he was an inferior minifter. An order of government, therefore, must exist in the Christian church, against which it is a fin to rebel; otherwise the fin of KORAH, defcribed in the Old Testament, and the gainfaying of Core, mentioned by ST. JUDE,* cannot conftitute parallel cafes. That a particular order of government has been established in the Christian church, an unanfwerable proof has been already brought from the writings of ST. PAUL,† where he calls upon the members of the church" to obey thofe that had the rule over them, and to fubmit themselves." To give force, therefore, to the Apostle's injunction in this cafe, fpiritual governors there must be in the church, to whose authority fubmiffion is required. In withdrawing, therefore, that fubmiffion, in confequence of certain felf-fufficient minifters of an inferior order setting themselves up as heads and leaders of separate congregations, independent of their respective bishops, + Heb. xiii. 17. * Epift. of JUDE, II. the fin of fchifm in the Christian church, correfponding with that of KORAH and his affociates, alluded to by ST. JUDE, originally confifted. The light in which this fin was seen in the primitive days of the church, makes it a fubject of ferious confideration. The Apoftles, and thofe who lived with them, could not be mistaken upon this point. Knowing what the conftitution of that church was, over which they were commiffioned to prefide, they must know in what the fin of thofe perfons confifted, who set themselves up in oppofition to it. An appeal, therefore, to their writings in this cafe muft afford unanfwerable evidence to all who are open to conviction. What ST. PAUL and ST. JUDE have faid upon it has been already remarked. To which the teftimony of ST. JOHN may be added, where, in his third epiftle, he fpeaks of one DIOTREPHES, who, in the true fpirit of KORAH, "loving to have the preeminence," created a divifion among the brethren, by not fubmitting himself to ST. JOHN, who was his fuperior in the church. And whatever different interpretations, with the view of favouring different opinions, have been put upon the Apoftolic writings, evidence is to be produced from the primitive writers of the church fo decifive, as to take away all reafonable ground for dispute on this subject. It will be fufficient to produce one of these writers; because, if his authority, direct to this point, be not fufficient to determine the opinion of every reasonable man, all further appeal becomes unneceffary. The writer here meant is ST. IGNATIUS, one of the first bishops and martyrs of the church, `who lived with the Apostles, and was a difciple of ST. JOHN; a circumstance, which, it is prefumed, places his testimony in the most unexceptionable point of view; because, what he has written muft, in fairness of construction, be confidered as expreffing the fenfe of the Apostles; his authority, confequently, becomes equal to theirs upon this fubject. Thus then, in one part of his writings, he admonishes those whom he addreffes, " to beware of the poison of feducers;" by whom were meant the fchifmatics, or those who separated from the church in those times; for, continues this holy man," he is without, who does any thing without the bishop and prefbytery and deacon, and fuch an one is defiled in his confcience."* * Ο δὲ ἐκτὸς ὤν, στος εςιν ο χωρις τ8 Επίσκοπε, και των πρεσβυτέρων και των Διακόνων τι πρασσών ο τοιςτος μεμίανται τη συνειδήσει. IGN. Epift. to the Trallians. In another part of his writings, referring to the obedience due from all orders in the church to the bilhops, this holy man fpeaks thus: “ Flee divifions, as the beginning of evils; all of you follow your bithops, as JESUS CHRIST, the Father; and the presbyters, as the Apostles; and reverence the deacons as the institution of GOD. Let no man do any thing of what appertains to the church without the bishop. Let that facrament be judged effectual and firm which is difpenfed by the bifhop, or him to whom the bishop has committed it. Wherever the bishop is, there let the people be. It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptife, or celebrate the offices; but whenfoever it may be approved of by him, according to the good pleafure of Gop; that every thing ye do may be firm and fafe.”* Again, fpeaking of those who act without the bishop, he obferves, "As CHRIST did nothing with * Τα σχίσματα φευγεις ως αρχην κακων. Παντες τω Επισκοπω ακολυθείτε ως Κριςος Ιησες τω Κατρι, καὶ τω Πρεσπυτερίω ως τους Αποςόλοις; τες δε Διάκονος εντρεπεσθε, ως Θε8 εντολην. Μηδεις χωρίς εκεινα βεβαια ευχαρίσια ηγείσθω, ή υπο τον Επίσκοπον ὅσα, ή ω αν αυτος επιτρεψη. Οπ8 αν φανη ο Επίσκοπος, εκεί το πλήθος εςω. Ουκ εξον εςι χωρίς τ Αλλ' οταν εκεινω δοκη και ευαρεςησιν Θεό, να ασφαλες ἢ καὶ βεβαιον παν ο αν πρασσηλε IGNAT. Epift. to the Smyrnæans. |
