30 'A CHRISTIAN CHURCH. sometimes the word church is applied to a very small or a very largenumber. The word EauXwrta, or church, sometimes signifies a few christians in a house ; so the church in the house of Priscilla- and Aquila, is saluted by St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans ; and the same church salutes the Corinthians in the end of St. Paul's first epistle to them, though it is certain there were many more christians round about them in Rome. Very probably Doctor Whitby's sense is just on these scriptures, viz. that this phrase is used concerning such whole families as were converts to the christian faith. And, besides, christians might meet together by agreement, in lesser societies for any spiritual occasions, and every such society might sometimes be called a church, or a christian assembly. Common prudence thought ten men enough to make a synagogue among the Jews. Our Saviour says, Where twoor three are gathered together in his name, there he is, or will be in the midst of them ; Mat. xviii -. 20. But this does not prove plainly that there should be a church formed where there are but two or three christians : Prudence must direct in' this matter, since scripture is silent. But on the other hand, we may enquire how large may a church be ? The multitude of christians in Jerusalem ; Acts xv. 12. are called the church at Jerusalem; verse 22. and Acts xi. 22. Not that it is necessary to suppose all the three thousand who were converted ; Acts ii. 41. and all the five thousand ; Acts iv. 4. to be members of the church at Jerusalem ; for this being done in the days of pentecost, multitudes of Jews and proselytes were come from other nations to celebrate that festi-, val, as Acts ii. 9. who being converted, returned to their own home. And it seems evident from the history, that when the apostles, elders, and brethren were stet together at Jerusalem, to determine the question about circumcision, the whole church, together with the apostles and elders, wrote the letter and sent messengers with it to Antioch ; Acts xv. 22, 23. So that it is possible one place might hold them, and they might make but one assembly. But supposing they were too numerous to meet together in worship at once, especially in a time of persecution, they might divide themselves into smaller assemblies, for preaching and praying, and might break bread from house to house, if 'that phrase should signify the celebration of the Lord's-supper ; Acts ii. 42, 46. Let it be further observed, that if the church at Jerusa- lem at that time was too large for one worshipping assembly, of some sacrificesby the aid of loud instruments of music in the temple, accord- ing to the figurative worship of the levitical dispensation, so that theymade one huge congregation worshipping together, or at least successively in the several days of the festival. .
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