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Controversy at the present day, is yet even more decisive than if it had been so; for he draws an argument against those with whom he disputes from what he appears to consider as granted on all hands. What was in fact the government of the christian church in his day, he could but know; and what he considered his adversaries as admitting to be an apostolic appointment, and consequent practice, cannot with reason be considered otherwise than really such. But the extract shall speak for itself.

Ireneus on apostolic Tradition, or the succession of bishops over the churches appointed by the apostles.

IN order to know the truth, the apostolical tradition manifest in all the churches throughout the world, should be well considered. And here we can enumerate those who were appointed bishops by the apostles over the church, who neither knew, nor taught any such thing as those men dream of. For if the apostles had possessed any hidden mysteries which they communicated to the most perfect of their followers, and concealed from others, they would certainly have communicated them to those in whose hands they left the churches. For they required those, whom they left as their successors, to whom they committed the exercise of their authority, to be perfect and irreprehensible in all things for on their good conduct every thing depended, and from their failings the greatest mischiefs were to be feared. But since it would be tedious in this place to enumerate the successions in all the churches, we shall only show what is the tradition received from the apostles by the greatest, the most ancient, and best known church, founded and organized at Rome by the two eminent apostles Peter and Paul. By pointing out her faith announced to men, and coming to our times through the succesion of her bishops, we may confound all those who in any manner, either from self-will, vain glory, or blindness and folly make schisms, and set up oppositions to the truth. For to this church, on account of its greater dignity and influence, all other churches, that is all the faithful, do of course look; by which means the apostolical tradition is every where preserved.t

When therefore the blessed apostles had formed and organized this church, they committed the administration of the episcopate over it to Linus. Of this Linus, Paul makes mention in his epistles to Timothy. To him succeeded Anacletus: and after him, in the third place from the apostles, Clemens held the episcopate; who also had seen and conversed with the apostles, and whilst not only he but many others were yet living, who had been taught by them, and had before them the sound of their instruction and tradition.

The men of whom he here speaks were the Valentinians and Mercionites, against whom he is arguing.

It may perhaps seem, at first view, as though the doctrine of the Papists concerning the supremacy of the church of Rome, were here inculcated. But Ireneus does not say that all other churches ought, as a matter of duty and obligation, to look to this church and receive thence the rule of their faith. What he does say implies no more than that it was naturally to be expected they would look with reverence to a church of such antiquity and diguity. True it is, as the learned reader may sce by looking at the passage, he uses the phrase, necesse est; yet this does not always imply duty or obligation; but frequently no more than what is a matter of course from the Hature and circumstances of the case, or the dispositions of men.

Under this Clemens, a no small dissension having arisen among the brethren of the church of Corinth, the church at Rome wrote a most powerful letter to the Corinthians, exhorting them to peace, correcting their errors in faith, and declaring the tradition they had just received from the apostles. It declares there is one God Almighty, the maker of heaven and earth, the former of man ; who brought the flood upon the world, who called Abraham, who led the people out of the land of Egypt, who conversed with Moses, who dispensed the law, and sent the prophets, and who hath prepared a fire for the devil and his angels. They who are disposed may learn from this writing, that this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ announced by the churches; and may understand the apostolical traditions delivered to the saints: for this epistle is older than these men who falsely teach, and idly prate about another God superior to him who made and fashioned all these things which are.*

But to Clemens succeeded Euaristus, and to Euaristus Alexander, and Sixtus was the sixth from the apostles; and to him succeeded Telesphorus, who suffered a glorious martyrdom: then followed Hygenrus, then Pius, after whom was Anicetus ; and after Soter had succeeded to Anicetus, now in the twelfth place from the apostles, Elutherius holds the episcopate. By this ordination and succession that tradition which is from the apostles has been handed down in the church to our times, and the preaching of the truth is preserved. This is a full manifestation that we who are in the church have all received one and the same vivifying faith from the apostles, which has been preserved to our day, and truly delivered.

Polycarp likewise was not only instructed by the apostles, and conversed with many who had seen our Lord; but was ordained by them bishop of the church of Smyrna in Asia. Him I myself saw in my early youth,† for he lived many years, and in extreme old age departed this life by a heroic and glorious martyrdom. The same things he also taught, which he learned of the apostles, and delivered to the church; and these only are true. To these all the churches in Asia bear testimony, with those who have hitherto succeeded Polycarp; who was a man of much greater authority and a more faithful witness of the truth than Valentinus and Marcion, and the others who are followers of their absurdities.

It was he, who coming to Rome in the times of Anicetus, converted many of those heretics, as we have before mentioned, to the church of God: declaring that he had learned this great and important truth from the apostles, and delivered it to the church.

The Valentinians and Mercionites, with whom Ireneus is here arguing, held many strange and absurd notions concerning the being who made and governed the world, and whom they represented as a creature subordinate to the Almighty. Hence is he so particular in describing whom he means when he speaks of God.

Thus we see Ireneus must have had the truth by tradition only at second hand. He is therefore a very competent witness of what was so delivered.

There is likewise an epistle of Polycarp* to the Phillipians most excellently written, by which those who desire it, and are mindful of their salvation, may learn what was the character of his faith, and the truth which he preached. And finally we might also mention the church at Ephesus founded by Paul; and with whom John continued until the times of Trajan ; who must be a true witness of the apostolical traditions.

Such being manifestly the case, we ought not to look elsewhere for that truth which it is easy to find in the church; since the apos tles, as into a rich depository, have hither conveyed in full store every thing relating to the truth so that every one who pleases may hence take the waters of life. This is the gate of life; all others are thieves and robbers. For which reason they should be avoided, and that truth which is delivered in the church be sought for and learned with the utmost diligence. For is it not manifestly every one's duty, when any the least doubt or difficulty arises in his mind, to have recourse to the most ancient churches, in which the apostles were conversant, and draw from thence what may render certain and clear the present doubt? If they had not left us any written scriptures, ought we not to follow the authority of that tradition which they delivered to those to whom they committed the churches? To this authority many barbarous nations, who have believed in Christ, submit themselves; having the words of salvation written in their hearts by the spirit, without paper and ink, and diligently preserving the early tradition; believing in one God the maker of heaven and earth, and of all things that therein are, through Jesus Christ his Son.t

Iren. B. iii. Chap. 3 and 4

・For this epistle see March Magazine, 1806.

This reasoning of Ireneus concerning tradition, and the authority of apostolical practice applies equally to us, as to those to whom he immediately wrote. Do all professing christians, nay, do any consider this so much as they ought, and regulate their faith and conduct accordingly? Are they not rather much more apt to be carried away with every wind of new doctrines, new teachers, and new-fangled systems of divinity; not duly considering that what is new in religion must be false.

The Brazen Serpent a Type of Christ.

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up."

THE brazen serpent is here set forth as a type of Christ on the cross. The Israelites in the wilderness were bitten of fiery serpents, and many of them died. The brazen serpent was erected that every one that was bitten, when he looked upon it, should live.

All mankind were infected with the poison of the old serpent, the first deceiver; they are wounded by the deadly sting of sin. Christ was "lifted up" on the cross, that he might " draw all men" to behold him for the salvation of their souls. But what resemblance can we discover between the serpent or a pole, and Christ on the cross? Their most striking qualities are directly opt

X

posite. The serpent is unclean and venomous; but Christ is holy, benevolent, and without guile. This point I shall attempt to illustrate.

According to the figurative language of holy scripture, the wicked are of the seed of the serpent ;" and John the Baptist called them" a generation of vipers." The serpent is venomous, and the wicked are spiteful and malicious. The serpent carries its poison in its mouth, and has a double tongue; and the wicked, though they are sometimes smooth and flattering, always carry "the poison of asps under their lips." Its way is crooked; and they are "froward in their paths" and deceitful in their dealings. It goes upon its belly, and they are given up to base appetites and earthly affections. For these reasons, and because the first sin entered by our following the devices of the old serpent, man, in his fallen state, finds his own likeness in the serpent, and is accordingly represented by it in holy scripture.

As it was requisite that the nature which offended should suffer, Christ took our nature upon him, though without sin; and at the time of his crucifixion he bare our sins in his own body on the tree," the Lord having " laid on him the iniquities of us all." The serpent on the pole was therefore a fit emblem of Christ, in our nature and stead, suffering the cursed death of the cross. And we are hereby forcibly taught to crucify the old man, the nature represented by the serpent, and utterly to abolish the whole body of sin by mortifying the deeds of the flesh.

It has been observed by naturalists that the serpent is capable, perhaps beyond all other animals, of bearing an astonishing degree of abstinence without much apparent loss of vivacity. In this case, however, as it secretes but little poison, it is not much disposed to do injury, and becomes almost a new creature. A serpent on a pole was a sign of Esculapius,* and may be considered as an emblem of health. Perhaps it was designed to teach that abstinence subdues the noxious humours of the body; and that temperance is necessary to health, cheerfulness and good will. And why is not a seasonable evacuation of the stomach by abstinence safer and more agreeable to the simplicity of nature, than by emetics? The lifting up" of a serpent from the earth, and of course from its food, and fixing it aloft on a pole, is clearly expressive of absti nence and mortification: and this was a lesson peculiarly necessary to the Israelites at the time "Moses lifted up" the fiery serpent in the wilderness; for the very reason of God's sending the fiery serpents to afflict the people was this their complaint: There is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread."

But on whatever ground these conjectures may rest; certain it is the wisdom of God has recommended the practice of fasting; and the Lord of life has declared; "Whosoever will follow me, let him deny himself." And blessed is he who shall find by his own experience the truth of that apostolic saying: "Godliness is profitable for all things, having the fromise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come."

Esculapius, the Roman God of health, was subsequent to the time of

Moses.

History of the Church in Waterhury.
[Continued from page 133.]

THE American war being brought to a close in 1788, and the colonies declared independent of the British empire, it became inconsistent with the society's charter any longer to continue their salaries to missionaries in this country. Of this Mr. ScovIL received notice, and at the same time an offer of a handsome augmentation to his income, provided he would remove to the Province of New-Brunswick; where the government likewise held out very generous encouregement to clergymen, in salaries and bounties in land to themselves and families. On these offers Mr. ScoVIL deliberated long and seriously. Having spent twenty-five years, in his native town, among his early friends and connections, in the exercise of his clerical functions, and that to the mutual satisfaction of himself and parish, it was no easy matter to resolve on a proper line of conduct: nor did he resolve until after his offer to remain where he was, provided his income should be kept up to what it had originally been, was rejected.

His best friends, and those most attached to the interest of the church, would gladly have complied with his offer, but they were over ruled by others; and he resolved in 1785, to forego every consideration inviting him to stay among his early friends. This resolution was lamented by all, and blamed by some of his best friends. But those who were disposed to blame should have remembered that he had a numerous family, for whom it was his duty to provide; and this he could not do with the means which would have been in his power. And if any one is still inclined to think him censurable, they should recollect that a clergyman situated as he was, having the unanimous good will of his parish, can have no motive to remove, but a strong sense of duty either to the church at large, or to himself and family.

Notwithstanding Mr. ScovIL's resolution was taken, yet he did not leave the church altogether vacant until the lapse of three years; for his family was not removed; he himself spending his summers with his new parish, and his winters in Waterbury, officiating as usual.

About the time we are now speaking, of the members of the church having considerably increased in the society of Salem (part of Waterbury) they formed themselves into a distinct parish. Thus were there now two congregations grown out of the original stock, both of which are flourishing, and have handsome new churches. This is a substantial proof that Mr. ScovIL did not stand idle in the vineyard where he was placed. His labors were indeed abundant; and what he planted was watered by God, that it might bring forth fruits of increase.

The vacancy that now commenced [1788] in the rectorship, continued several years; during which the Rev. Messrs. Foote and Blakslee officiated here, each some time. Settlements were proposed, but nothing decisive being done; they removed elsewhere and are since deceased, both of them in early life.

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