it 4 The State of the fi'r f Churches, &c. the Duty of Officers in the Church, of the Power and Liberty of the people, of the nature and exercifeofDV: cipline, as are utterly inconfiftent with that ftate of thefe things which is by fome pleaded for. Yea, as we have (hewed, whatever they write or (peak about Churches, or their Order , can have no Being or Exercife in any other formof Churches, but ofparticular Congregations. 2. That account which they give, that Reprefentation which they make of the kind, (late, and order of the Churches among them , doth abfolutely agreewith, and anfwer unto, what we are taught in the Divine Writings about the fame things. There were indeed before theend of the fecond Century, fome prac`lifes in and about tome leffer things, (fuch as fending the Confecrated Elements from the Affembly unto fuch as were fick) that they had no warrant for from any thing written or done by the A= potties : But as unto the flebfiance of what concerns the State, Order, Rule, Difcipline, and Worship of Evange- lical churches, there is not any inflance to be given ,. wherein they departed from the Apoftolical Traditions or Inflitution, either by adding any thingof their own unto them,oromitting any thing that was by them ordain- ed. 3. From this ftate, the Churches did by degrees and in- f°enübly degenerate,fo as that another Form and Order of them did appear towards the endofthe thirdCentury.For fore in the firft Churches, not applying their minds unto the Apoflolical Rule and pratíce, who ordainedElders in every Church, and that not only in Cities or Towns, but as Clemens affirms, ,ty,r xcleyes in theCountry-Villages, Many diforders enfued,withrefpea unto fuch Colle&ions of Chriftians and Congregations, as were gathered at Tome diflance from the firft or City- Church. Until the time of °risen, thy Example of the Apoftles in this cafe was
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