Owen - BX5085 O84x 1681

108 The State of the firfi Churches ) acc. we bring him unto thofe called the Brethren , when they are met, or gathered together , forjoynt prayers and for themfelves,andfor himwho it now illumina- ted, and all others, with intention of mind,&c. We have here another illuftrious inflance of the care and diligence of the Primitive Church, about the enffating profeflèd Believers in the Communionof theChurch. That here- on tlifilkwho were to be admitted made their publick confe173n,we (hall afterwards declare. And the Brethren here mentioned, are the whole fraternity of the Church, who were concerned in thefè things. And juf1in is not a(hamed to declare by what name they called one ano- ther among themfelves, even to the Heathen, though It be now a (corn and reproach among them that are called Chriflians. 4. He proceeds to declare the nature of their Church- meetings or A_ j emblies, with theDuties and Worship of them. And he tells us firth, that they hadfrequent meet- ings among themfelves : they thathave any wealth, faith. he ,do help the poor ; aici, and we are continually together , that is, in the leffer occafional Al- femblies of the Brethren ; for fo in thenext placehe adds immediately , i14 ;AIN1spjdvn71124e5,'7nivzwvÿ'77-óh65 cxyis pavóvwv 5ro & 7-r ruviAko's7iY7y. on the day called Sunday, there is a meeting of all that dwell in the Towns and Fields, or villages about. This was theState, the Or- der , the proceedingof theChurch in the days of jxfin; whence it is undeniably evident, that he knew noother ChurchRate or Order, but that of a particular Congre- gation , whole Members living in anyTown or City, or Fields adjacent, did conflantly all of themmeet together in one place,the ftrft day of theweek, for the celebrati- onof Divine Worthip. 5. In this Church he mentions only two fortsof Offi- cers,

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=