F is obligatory upon the highest amongst us. It implies, that the terms high and low are not known in a Christian Church but he is to be the highest esteemed who has the most of our Saviour's spirit, and is ready at all times and in every way to be useful to his brethren. Elders were originally appointed by shew of hands; but as Christians swerved from the principles of the gospel, this practice degenerated into licentiousness; and at last the committee itself was in consequence set aside, and a new set of men, with new pretensions, took their place, exercising lordship over their brethren, and acting by the principles of the world, not those of Christ. But the abuse of a practice is not an argument against its use. In a true Christian Church, turbulence could not have existed; and when it begins to appear in any union of Christians, it is a signal for the true Christian to depart from such an association. In these days a Christian Church will elect its committee of elders by shew of hands or ballot, as one or other may in its judgment be the most expedient, and a diversity of practice in such matters is not of any consequence. consisted only of five, one who had never been in the committee should be elected into it once in two years. It might seem needless to make the above remarks; but a due consideration of the relation of a church to its committee will shew, that the real interests of all are thus best consulted, by the introduction of one or more new members into the body of elders. The committee for the ensuing year having been appointed by the church, its first business would be, if necessary, to elect the president or bishop: but as this office might be holden for two. or three years, it would only occur occasionally to elect the officer. The confirmation, however, of the bishop in his office each year, during the time. that he might hold it, might be useful; and if he was not confirmed, the comnittee would go to a new election. But the history of past times will be a sufficient guard to every Christian church against the holding of the office of a bishop for more than three years. At the end of this time, a new one would be necessarily elected; a former one being re-eligible after he had been two years out of office. The character required by the apostle of bishops and elders, points out the nature of the business in which the committee will be engaged. The care of the church is vested in them: they are its overseers, not its lords: and if the Christian temper has been duly formed in them, whilst they were private members, they will not swerve easily from it in the exercise of their office. They will regulate the meetings of the church for public worship; appointing proper persons for the conduct of it, and the reading of the Scriptures, and the delivery of suitable admonitions from them. This may be settled before each meeting, so that a member should not be embarrassed by being called upon to take any part of the service. Of course the committee would exercise its judgment in the bringing forward of the younger members, and adapting every one to the service for which he appears to be best qualified for gifts may be very differently diffused among the community; and as no one will display any for ostentation, so it will be the employment of the committee to see that the talents of no individual should be entirely kept out of sight and lost. 3 F The duration of the committee seems aptly to terminate with the year from its election, and at the annual general meeting of the church the new committee might be elected. In this case it might be found expedient, that one-third of the committee which had vacated, should not be eligible into the new committee: and the selection of this third might be left to the committee to decide previously to the day of election. The history of Christians points out the necessity of care in this respect, that the committee of elders should neither be nor be suspected of being led by a worldly spirit. By being intimately united with the church, the Christian spirit will be more nourished: and he who has been frequently in both capacities, that of an elder and of a private member, will be more capable of instructing others in the duties of both offices. For this reason it might be expedient, that at every election some should be elected who had never been on the committee: thus, if the number was twelve, two might be always taken from the body; if a less number, one: if the committee VOL. XVI. In this a church necessarily differs from a worldly society, in which prevails generally a love of pre-eminence, and a jealousy of every new person brought forward. Nothing of this can appear in a Christian Church. All will be done for edification. The regulations of the committee will be consistent with the perfect law of liberty, by which alone a Christian Church is bound; and, of course, the bishop or presiding elder will make such a change in the course, as circumstances may require. Thus, should there be strangers at the meeting, he will naturally propose to them, first, whether they wish to address the church in any manner of exhortation; and he will supply any deficiency that may have arisen from various causes in the appointment of the committee. As every thing is to be done decently and in order, the bishop or presiding elder will attend to the spirit of this rule and a Christian Church cannot break out into any thing unseemly under his inspection. Under the inspection of the committee falls the admission or secession of a member; not that it can decide definitely upon those points which belong exclusively to the church. The preparatory investigations on such subjects will be best undertaken by the elders, under whose cognizance will also be placed the direction of the public funds, the care of the sick and needy, the correspondence with other churches, and in short, every thing that may be arranged with propriety by them previously to the submission of it to the decision of the church. In carrying forward the business of a church, we find another kind of officers described by the apostle under a name which means to serve or minister and the name may be still with propriety retained. Certain persons will be elected in a manner similar to that of the election of elders, and at the same time to be the deacons or ministers of the church. The qualifications for this office are so well laid down by the Apostle Paul, that it is needless to repeat them here; though it may be necessary, from the fatal effects of the breach of one part of these precepts, on this subject to point out the necessity of the marriage of every one elected to this office. The business of a deacon or minister will, as the name implies, be to serve the church, by attending to the proper accommodation of the members at any meeting, the making of the arrangements for the meeting, the collection of the contributions on the first day of the week, the distribution of alms, and similar offices. We read of deaconesses in the Scriptures, and these are most fitly adapted for the services to be rendered to the female part of the church. The appointment of them seems to devolve with the greatest propriety on the committee of elders, who, in the selection of them, will attend to the directions given on this subject by the apostle. Mention is also made in the Scriptures of other officers termed angels, or rather messengers; and an officer of this kind may be requisite in keeping up the communication between different churches; or it might be in the communication between the committee of elders and the deaconesses. The appointment of these officers, when necessary, seems to be most fitly vested in the committee of elders. To be a member of a church, it is requisite that the person having a desire to become one should be a Christian: but as the name is now become common, and it is thought to be an insult to suppose any one not entitled to this appellation, it is evident, that the mere appellation is not of itself sufficient. The character of a society is made up of that of its individual members, and too much care cannot be applied in the first instance, lest the church should suffer afterwards for want of due circumspection. In the case of relatives or friends of members, a recommendation of two members to the committee of elders would be sufficient, and it would judge of the propriety of recommending them to the church. This judgment would naturally be formed on such inquiries as could easily be obtained in a Christian Church; and, of course, there would be friendly communications between the party proposed and some of the elders, previously to the determination of the committee. At the general meeting, the name of the candidate, his two proposers, and the approbation of the elders, would be read to the church, which would decide in the usual way. If a stranger offered himself to the elders, they would ap point two members to propose him, and form their determination by their own communications with him, and the opinions of his named proposers. It has already been observed, that neither power, nor rank, nor wealth, nor learning, is of any consideration in the choice of an elder: nor are they in that of a member. Power, wealth, rank, learning, lay down their pretensions at the threshold of a Christian Church, in which a complete equality reigns in all its members, and no pre-eminence is allowed but to services. A king may be a member of a church; but he would hardly, from his station, choose to be an elder, nor would the church think it expedient to elect him into such an office, or that of deacon; and the same might be said of any other person who is raised by civil considerations very high above his brethren. But a Christian Church will very rarely find solicitations from these quarters. Our Saviour did not say in vain, that it was hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven; and the same may be said of the present as of former times; "Ye see your calling, brethren. Not many mighty, not many rich, not many learned." The funds requisite for the support of a church are small. As none of the officers, namely, bishop or overseer, elder or presbyter, minister or deacon, angel, messenger or deputy, deaconess, are to be paid any thing for their services; except the travelling expenses of the deputy, when it may be expedient to attend a meeting of deputies of other churches; its expenses are confined to the room in which it meets, for fire and candle and rent, and the menial service required to keep it in order. As to rent, in most cases it would be trifling; as in most districts some one member would have sufficiently large rooms for the purposes. The building of places appropriated to the sole purpose of religious service, has been attended with very bad consequences, and should be avoided. But if the expenses of religious service are very small, the contributions of the members (always voluntary) may be considerable. For from them is to be given relief to the poor, the widow and the orphan; to the necessities of other churches; and to whatever Christian cause the church may think right to adopt. The expenditure of these funds will be regulated by the committee, who, on peculiar occasions, may make a call on the benevolence of the Church. The deacons or ministers will at stated meetings hold the boxes at the door of the church, to receive these voluntary donations; but no one should be permitted to subscribe his name in a book for any sum. His benevolence should be known to the contributer alone; and the observation of our Saviour should be always held in view the mite of the widow is as acceptable as the greatest contributions of the rich. It is to be hoped, that persons joining a church, in which no encouragement is given to worldly ends, would in general conduct themselves by those principles which alone can give admission to it. But from the infirmity of human nature cases may occur in which a church might suffer greatly from the bad conduct of a member. In this case it would be the duty of a member or elder to admonish the offender with Christian kindness; and, if he persists in his evil course, he should be recommended to withdraw quietly from the society, which in the last resource only will cut him off, and even then be ready to receive him again with open arms, if his conduct is changed. In this it exercises only the right which necessarily belongs to all communities: the only difference between a church and a worldly community is, that in the former every thing is done without asperity, and with a true Christian regard to the eternal interest of its members. On the times of meeting for religious service the church will determine: the first day of the week, as it is now generally adopted for this purpose, will naturally be set apart as the Sabbath-day, or day of rest and day of devotion. Of course it is to be hoped, that on the meetings of this day the grand object should be always kept in view; nor should it be permitted to lead the mind away from sacred truths, by the disputes too prevalent on religious subjects among the men of this world. The Scriptures afford every thing necessary for spiritual edification: and if questions of controversy should occur, they should be reserved for meetings on other days of the week. The day of rest should not be profaned by the names of worldly disputants, that have substituted their conceits for scriptural truths: and particularly the unhallowed name should never be used. This, indeed, might be useful at all meetings; for the church being bound only by the commands of our Saviour, and having in view the preservation of its own members, need never attend to the disputes of other communities. If on the perusal of the above, the reader should feel, that the principles here laid down are in the true spirit of the Christian religion, and should wish to aid in the formation of a church of this description, the writer will be happy to meet him, and to confer with him on the best mode of putting the plan into execution. A very few persons are necessary to join together at first, and if only half a dozen should be found like-minded, it is to be hoped that, under Divine Providence, the number will speedily increase. The writer has sensibly felt the want of such an institution; and he believes that many more are in the same situation. It is high time to wake out of sleep, to act with energy, that the body, of which Christ is the head, may be formed; and all may have the opportunity of being edified, instructed, and mutually participating with each other in the benefits of the heavenly dispensation. The publisher is authorised to receive the communications of those persons who are disposed to meet on the above plan, with any improvements which may be by them suggested. The writer will give them a meeting to discuss the subject, and to promote the object of such an institution. The Scriptures are the only basis; on them the men of this day are as competent to judge as those of any age after the time of the apostles. To the test of the Scriptures the whole of the conduct of the church is to be brought and when it is considered how much the Christian spirit has been quenched by a departure from this rule, and adopting the traditions of men in their stead, it is presumed, that, by keeping steadfastly our eyes on the plain and simple commands of our Saviour, and avoiding all controversies with those who are guided by other rules, a church may be formed, in which the members will feel daily an increasing interest in divine truth, and be more and more capable of drawing others to acknowledge its gracious influence. To all who love the Lord Jesus in truth and sincerity, these few hints are humbly suggested by one whose prayer is for the establishment and enlargement of his church, and who would rather be a door-keeper in the house of God than dwell at ease in the tabernacle of ungodliness. F. Clapton, July 3, 1821. OBSERVE in the Account of SIR, the General Baptist Assembly," (p. 373,) that there is an expectation encouraged, which it is very uncertain whether it may ever be in my power to satisfy. It must, indeed, be gratifying to any one who has cultivated some attachment to the great interests of mankind, to bring together what can now be recovered respecting the life of such a man as Roger Williams, one of those lights shining in a dark place, which deserve to be in perpetual remembrance. But, besides some indispensable present engagements, which forcibly remind me of Dr. Priestley's motto, ars longa, vita brevis, the materials which I have, conveniently at hand, are insufficient for the purpose. These are Hutchinson's History of Massachusetts," and Backus's "History of New England, with particular reference to the denomination of Christians called Baptists." To the reading of Backus's History a few years ago, I was indebted for nearly all I know of Roger Williams, except what is to be learned from his only work in my possession, "The Bloody Tenent of Persecution for cause of Conscience, discussed in a Conference between Truth and Peace," dedicated "to the Right Honourable and renowned Patriots-the high Court of Parliament." That work was printed in 1644, in London, where the author had arrived to procure, by the assistance of his friend Sir Henry Vane, who had been governor of New England in 1636, and was then one of the commissioners for the colonies, a charter for the "Incorporation of Providence Plantations," the lands which he had purchased from the Indians in 1638; and which now form the state of Rhode Island. There, as noticed in your XVth Vol. p. 304, he legislated on the just principle, charged upon him as a dangerous heresy, by his fellow-emigrants, who banished him from Salem in 1634, "that the magistrate has nothing to do in matters of the first table.” This work, The Bloody Tenent, as I was called upon to mention on the public occasion to which you have referred, appears to me to substantiate the claim of Roger Williams to the high praise of having understood and asserted, as early as 1644, all which an enlightened Christian and politician can now maintain respecting the just origin and proper objects of civil government, and the distinct provinces of this world and the world to come. He certainly proceeds firm and erect where Milton, in 1659, also addressing the Parliament on the assumption of "civil power in ecclesiastical causes," and again, in 1673, in his treatise "Of True Religion," sadly stumbled, on the case of the Papists. Of these, Milton poorly says, "If they ought not to be tolerated, it is for just reason of state more than of religion," but of whose "idolatry," he adds, a magistrate can hardly err in prohibiting and quite removing, at least the public and scandalous use thereof." In 1673 he declares, that " Popery, as being idola trous, is not to be tolerated, either in public or in private." I think, too, that Roger Williams would not have treated so complaisantly as Mr. Locke has done, that miserable counterfeit of religious liberty, "the Act of Toleration." Mr. Backus complained in 1777, when writing his History, that he could not procure, in America, a copy of the Bloody Tenent, and, besides that which I have mentioned, I am aware of only one in England, which is in the possession of my friend Dr. Evans. There do not appear to be any of Roger Williams's Works in the Red-Cross Street Library. Those in the British Museum are the following, all printed at London: Key to the Language of America," 12mo. 1643. "Mr. Cotton's Letter examined and answered," 4to. 1644. "The Hireling Ministry none of Christ's," 4to. 1652. "The Bloody Tenent yet more Bloody by Mr. Cotton's endeavour to wash it White in the Blood of the Lambe," 4to. 1652. The author was now again in England, and writes, in April 1653, "from Sir Henry Vane's, at Belleau, in Lincolnshire," where he 66 stayed some ten weeks." Under these circumstances, but for the experience I have gained during the last five years, I might, perhaps, be inclined to recommend to some person, who would gratify himself by preserving the mind and memory of such a man, and who has the leisure which I know not when I can command, to republish The Blondy Tenent, if not the defence, in rejoinder to Mr. Cotton, prefixing such a Memoir as would make the volume comprehend all that can now be discovered respecting the character and history of Roger Williams. But as such a scheme, should the whole of those pieces be still sufficiently interesting, is not likely to be encouraged, so as to save an editor from pecuniary loss, the only plausible project is a short Memoir, from which a biographer could scarcely incur any expenditure, but of time and attention, which, I trust, many would be ready to bestow on a worthy object. Such a biographer may command whatever assistance is in my power. In the mean time, should any of your readers possess either of the four pieces of Roger Williams, which are in the British Museum, especially the first, I shall be much obliged to them for an opportunity of consulting the work at home. J. T. RUTT. P. S. Of the "Letter to a Clergyman," (p. 364,)" by G. Coade, Jun., Merchant at Exeter," it appears that "the first edition came out in 1744,” as noticed by a former possessor of the second edition now before me. On the first leaf he has written the following information : Mem. By the same ingenious author of this admirable letter, was published a first, second and third edition of the horrid, impious, cruel persecution of the Methodists at Exeter, in the year 1744; excited by the clergy, winked at by the magistrates, and perpetrated by the mob! One Lavington was then Bishop of Exeter, who, with one Syles, Archdeacon |