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ITIVE CHURCH," after a most rigid examination of the claims of Episcopacy, says, "We object to Episcopacy, 1. As a departure from the order of the apostolical and primitive churches. 2. That it had its origin, not in divine authority, but in human ambition. 3. That it removes the laity from a just participation in the government and discipline of the church. 4. That it creates unjust distinctions among the clergy. 5. That it gives play to the bad passions of men. 6. We object to the exclusive and intolerant spirit of Episcopacy. 7. Episcopacy is monarchical and anti-republican.' "It is monarchical in its form, monarchical in spirit, and until transplanted to these States, has been always and every where the handmaid of monarchy. And here it is a mere exotic, our own republican soil being quite uncongenial to all its native instincts." 66 Episcopacy," says Macaulay, "for more than one hundred and fifty years, was the servile handmaid of monarchy, the steady enemy of public liberty." "We must," says Coleman, "regard Episcopacy as a strange, unseemly anomaly here; a religious government, arbitrary and despotic, in the midst of the highest political freedom: a spiritual despotism in the heart of a free republic." sponsible life-bishopric," says Prof. Parke of Andover, "may be congenial with cransatlantic institutions, but it is not with American." With these views the late Dr. Rice of Virginia, and Dr. Woods of Andover, substantially concur. would also refer to these same distinguished authors for support to our other positions illustrative of the popish and unscriptural tendencies of prelatical institutions. "What shall we say of those Episcopalians," says Dr. Woods, "who maintain that their church is the only true church of Christ, and that their ministers are the only ministers who received the gift of the Holy Spirit to qualify them for their office, and that their ordinances are the only ordinances which are valid, or which can secure the blessing of God, while yet there is seen among them no degree of spiritual health or spiritual activity, above what is seen among those, who, according to their ideas, have no share in those invaluable and indispensable

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blessings? I cannot but ask, why we should go over to another denomination to obtain benefits, which, after all, prove to be no benefits ?"

We agree fully with the six American prelates of this country who say, "The Episcopal Church, deriving its episcopal power in regular succession from the holy apostles, through the venerable Church of England," "has no ecclesiastical connection with the followers of Luther and Calvin." We believe more, and what we suppose was intended to be understood by the above declaration, they have no sympathy with the followers of these illustrious men. And we regard as wholly unimportant and puerile, the arrogant assumptions of the prelacy to exclusive church prerogatives. It is a matter of trifling importance, whether the numerous and extended denominations of evangelical Christians in this country and in Europe are regarded as churches, and the ministrations of their clergy as valid or not, by the smallest sect among us. But we do regard it as a solemn question for them to ask, whether theirs is a church at all, and whether their ministry is in any sense a ministry of Jesus Christ. It is a serious question for all to examine who are listening to the proffers of this sect, as bestowing undoubted favors of grace, whether the truth that saves is with them, and the Spirit that giveth life. We can find neither the church no the ministry of Christ, but with those who embrace the truths of the gospel, and unite to carry out the objects for which the gospel was given. Where the truth and the Spirit of God are, there and only there, are to be found the church and ministry of Jesus Christ. The virtue of the truth, and the power of the Holy Ghost that attends it, are the heavenly attestations which we receive as incomparably superior to all the bestowments of men or investitures of hierarchy. These are the only credentials which are infallible, and that God requires us to acknowledge. Where, then, is the truth? where is holiness? where is the Spirit of God? where are revivals of true religion? There is the church; there we would rest; there, and there alone, would we have our children live, as the only sanctuary of the ever

lasting covenants.

The church is nowhere else to be found. The ministry of the gospel is nowhere else to be met.

ARTICLE VII.

DOMINICI DIODATI I. C. NEAPOLITANI, DE CHRISTO GRÆCE LOQUENTE EXERCITATIO.

Translated by Rev. O. T. DOBBIN, LL. D., of Western Independent College, Exeter, England,

Continued from page 181, Vol. I.

CHAPTER II.-That Christ and the apostles spoke the Hellenistic tongue.

WHAT we have advanced hitherto, is more than enough to prove that Christ, his mother, and the apostles, must have spoken Greek, from their having been inhabitants of Judæa. Nevertheless, as our title, De Christo Hellenista, and our purpose, pledge us to something more precise and definite, we shall devote the present chapter to arguments that bear directly upon the exalted personage just named.

§ 1. Jesus assumed a Greek surname.

Our first argument, then, is found in the additional name by which our Lord was distinguished. To his Hebrew name Jesus, he added the Greek cognomen Xororós, meaning anointed, as Chrysostom,' Theophylact, Ecumenius,3 and Cyril' of Jerusalem inform us. "He is called Christ, because he was anointed; because, too, he was of flesh with what oil was he anointed, then? Not with oil, by any means, but with the Spirit." This unction with the Spirit occurred, according to Chrysostom, when he was baptized in Jordan by John,

'Chrysostomus, homil. 1 in Ep. ad Roman. p. 6. Theophylactus, cap. 1 ad Math. p. 4.

3 Ecumenius, cap. 1 ad Roman. p. 245. Cyrillus Hieros. Catech. 3, Neop. p. 202.

and when "the Spirit in the likeness of a dove came down upon him." Then did he receive the name of Christ. It is worthy of observation that the Greek word Xororós means precisely the same as Messiah in Hebrew, the word employed by the prophets to signify the coming One, and thus most familiar and agreeable to Jewish ears. But if Jesus pre

ferred the Greek appellative Xquorós to the Hebrew Messiah, it follows of course that the Greek was his native tongue. From this circumstance, too, his followers take their designation, not from his Hebrew name Jesus, but are called Christians, from the Greek Xororós.

$2. His band of disciples Christ called by a Greek name. The election of his disciples furnishes another argument. Out of his seventy-two followers Christ selected twelve to be instructed by him with a greater care, with a view to their future employment as the teachers of the world. To this inner circle he gave the Greek name άnoorókoi, apostles, that is, legates, or missionaries. "He called his disciples, and chose twelve out of them, whom he named apostles." When also he laid the foundations of the church upon Simon, he gave him the Greek surname of Пléroos, Peter,3 so that from that time his Hebrew Cephas gave place to his Greek name Peter. These facts all go to show that the Greek language was the vernacular of Christ.

$3. Christ used Greek Bibles.

The same thing is proved by Christ's only reading and quoting the Scriptures of the Greek version. This might be demonstrated by a thousand instances; but for brevity's sake we limit ourselves to a few. Our first example shall be from Luke 4: 16 sq.: "And Jesus entered in, according to his wont, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up

1 Chrysostomus, in Psal. 45.

Luc. Evang. cap. 6, v. 13.

3 Marc. cap. 3, v. 16; Math. cap. 16, v. 18.

to read; and there was delivered unto him the book of Isaiah the Prophet. And when he unrolled the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord," etc., etc. This passage of the prophet, Christ read in the version of the Seventy, for the reason directly to be given. That the point may be more easily ascertained, we here present the three texts in parallel columns, for the sake of comparison; first the Hebrew, secondly the reading of Christ, thirdly the Septuagint. It will thus be seen, at a glance, whether our Saviour's lection corresponds more closely with the Hebrew or with the Greek :

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1 « Το send away the bruised free,” ἀποστεῖλαι τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει. This

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