Holy Ghost." To this I shall say, it is true, but I know no Church of Christ but that which follows the principles of Jesus Christ: besides the Church must be understood here of the people of Christ; wherever they are, there is the Church, for they are the Church. But enough upon this subject-only I pray you accuse me not of enthusiasm, for I have adopted these opinions after the most mature and constant reflections; and I repeat it, I thought it my duty to open my heart to you in this, as in every thing else. If you see a possibility of writing to me, pray do it quickly-alas! I dare not murmur at our separation: it is the will of God; it is through a series of circumstances, that he has brought me to a knowledge of the truth, that he offers it to you: Oh! let us submit to and adore his decrees; but at least if you can make me hear of you, do not delay a moment to tell me of every thingevery thing that concerns you. Farewell! may this letter come to you; may you read it without prejudice; may you be filled with the desire of knowing the truthof judging by, and for yourselves: may the Spirit of God accompany you in the reading of the Holy Scripture; may he discover to you its admirable structure, and incomparable worth; may be at last do what man cannot do, lead you by degrees to life everlasting, through the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ. Such is the ardent wish of your son and friend."

MISCELLANEOUS COMMUNICATIONS.

AUTHORITY OF THE FIRST FOUR GENERAL COUNCILS.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.

SIR-On looking over some of your early Numbers I found a quere, signed" Clericus," which I believe has not been answered, and which is perhaps of some importance. The object of the querist is, to ascertain upon what authority Bishop Burnet, in his exposition of the XXXIX Articles, asserts, that the Church of England "declares, that she receives the first four general Councils as authority.” If "Clericus" will look in the Irish Statutes for the first Act of Elizabeth, he will, in the XVIIth Section of that Act (the Act of Supremacy) find the ground upon which the learned Bishop made his assertion.

After mentioning who the commissioners to exercise spiritual jurisdiction should be, the Act proceeds to say, that they" shall not in anywise have authority, or power, to order, determine, or adjudge any matter or cause to be heresie, but only such as heretofore hath been determined, ordered, or adjudged to be heresie, by the authoritie of the canonical Scriptures, or by the first four generall Counsails or any of them; or by any other generall Counsail, wherein the same was declared heresie, by the expresse and plain words of the said canonicall Scriptures." Such are the words of the Act; it completely establishes the authority of the first four general Councils, and by the condition annexed with regard to other general Councils, it tacitly proves that the reason of the reception of the first four is, because their decisions were borne out by the express declarations of the revealed word of God.

This, I trust, will satisfy "Clericus" of the accuracy of Bishop Burnet's statement; and I shall merely observe, that at a period when our Church has so much to contend with from without, it is much to be desired, that her members would not, without sufficient enquiry, call in question thus publicly the authority of one of her most learned and distinguished supporters.

Wishing your valuable Miscellany a still wider circulation than its merit has already obtained for it, I remain yours,

C. W. L.

ON THE "TABLE OF THE OFFICES AND CONDITIONS OF MEN," ATTACHED TO OUR COMMON BIBLES.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.

SIR-The British and Foreign Bible Society have laid it down as the fundamental rule of their constitution, that they will circulate nothing but the pure word of God. In conformity with this excellent and necessary principle, they have refused to publish along with their Bibles, the Preface of the Translators to the Reader, and in some of the later editions even the Dedication to King James has been left out: not that any thing objectionable is to be found in those compositions,* but simply in order to preserve consistency with the fundamental principle of the Society.

Now it is a strange oversight that the Bible Society, while they reject documents which are in themselves perfectly unobjectionable, should retain, even in their pocket editions, "The Table of Offices and Conditions of Men," which appears at the end of our Bibles, and which is literally replete with error, and in many places likely to mislead. Perhaps there is not one of the explanations given in this Table that is not objectionable as defective or inedequate. Of these, however, I shall not speak, but shall content myself with pointing out two or three of them that are positively false.

1. 66

Tetrarchs," the table inform us, were officers, "who had kingly power in four provinces."

Now, a Tetrarch was an officer who presided, not over four provinces, but over the fourth part of a province.t

In a wider sense, as Schleusner has remarked, the word was applied to the governor of the third part, or half of a kingdom. Herod Antipas is called Tetrarch (Matt. xiv. 1.) in this looser signification of the word, because he held the government of the

*It is much to be regretted, that the Preface of our venerable Translators is not better known, and more read; it contains an admirable summary of the arguments for vernacular translations, in opposition to the Church of Rome, with many valuable quotations from the Fathers. It was written by Dr. Miles Smith, Bishop of Gloucester, one of our venerable translators.

"Tetrarcha, proprie, qui quartæ alicujus regni parti, 7εrpadɩ, cum 'imperio infinito et potestate regiâ præest, etsi nomine regis non utitur; ex 7εrpas quater. narius numerus, et apxn imperium."-Schleusner.

Table of the Offices and Conditions of Men, &c.

417

third part of his father's kingdom. Upon the death of Herod the Great, his kingdom was divided among his three sons: Archelaus was made Ethnarch of Judæa, Idumea, and Samaria ; Herod Antipas became Tetrarch of Galilee and Peræa; and Philip, who is also called Tetrarch, received Iturea and Trachonitis: Herod Agrippa, to whom the Emperor Claudius afterwards gave the government of Judæa and Samaria, is also called "Herod the Tetrarch," (Act xiii. 1,) and "Herod the King." Hence it appears, that the word was often used in a looser sense, to denote the governor of any part of a kingdom; but its proper signification is a ruler of the fourth part; and it never does or could denote one who had a kingly power in four provinces."

2. "The Nicolaitans," we are informed, "were the disciples of Nicolas, one of the first seven deacons, who taught the community of wives."

This opinion, which was very early and universally entertained, seems to have arisen entirely from the similarity of the two names; and is now very generally rejected by learned men as destitute of foundation. For a priori it is extremely improbable that Nicolas, one of "the seven men of honest report" among the primitive Christians," and full of the Holy Ghost and of wisdom," should have apostatized so far from the faith, as to teach doctrines not only repugnant to truth, but disgusting and unnatural in their very nature; and independent of this, Clemens Alexandrinus,* Theodoret, Ignatius, and others, have abundantly shewn that this sect did not take their name from Nicolas the deacon.† Lightfoot derives the name from " (Nicola,) "Let us eat together," alluding to their eating together things sacrificed to idols. (Is. xxii. 13.)‡ Others are of opinion that the Nicolaitans were the same as the followers of Balaam, (2 Pet. ii. 15, Jude 11, Rev. ii. 14,) because the Greek name Nikolaos (victor populi,) has the same signification as the Hebrew Dy which is compounded of y vicit, and y populus.

3. "Nazarenes," Jews professing Christianity.

Nazarene was a title of contempt given by the unbelieving Jews to the whole Christian sect, not merely to the "Jews professing Christianity." The above explanation is therefore calculated to give a decidedly erroneous impression of the true meaning of the appellation Nazarenes.

4. 66 Bishops," successors of the Apostles in the government of the Church.

The word Bishop no where occurs in the New Testament exclusively in this sense. The New Testament clearly intimates the existence of two orders of Ministers in the Church, the Deacons and the Presbyters-and it is no less clear, that the Apostles ordained of this latter order, one in each Church, to be chief Presbyter, with power to ordain Ministers in conjunction with the

Stromm. lib. ii. p. 411. iii. p. 436.

† See Vitringa, Obs. Sacr. lib. iv. c. 9, and the authorities quoted by Schleusner, voce, Νικολαιτης et Νικολαος.

Lightfoot's Works, vol. 8, p. 434.

other Presbyters, and to have supreme authority in the government of the Church. But in the language of the New Testament, all the Presbyters, as well as the Chief Presbyter, were styled Bishops, (ETLOKOTOvs) and it was not perhaps till the commencement of the second century, that the title of Bishop was exclusively confined to the Chief Presbyter.*

Thus then, I think I have shewn, that this "Table of Offices and Conditions of Men," is liable to very considerable objections, and that it is not only inconsistent with the principles of the Bible Society to circulate it with their Bibles, but, setting the Bible Society out of the question, it should not be retained in our copies of Scripture, because it is calculated to give very inadequate views, and in many places even to mislead. I remain, Sir, yours, &c.

Trinity College.

K.

ANCIENT WALDENSIAN CONFESSIONS OF FAITH IN THE
LIBRARY OF TRINITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE CHRISTIAN EXAMINER.

SIR, Many able articles have lately appeared in your Publication in defence of that most interesting people, the Vaudois, or Waldenses; and as you inserted in your last Number, a list of the MSS. on Waldensian affairs, preserved in the Library of our University, I send you the following account of a very old and curious book, printed in the year 1512, containing two Confessions of Faith of the Waldenses, sent by them at the close of the 15th century to the King of Hungary: they are followed by an elaborate Philippic of Augustinus de Olomutz, Artium et Decretorum Doctor, "against the heresy of the Waldenses," which is succeeded by "A defence (excusatio) of the Waldenses, in reply to Doctor Augustinus ;" and the volume concludes by "Five Books against the heresy of the Waldenses, by James Ziglerus." This antient book is particularly interesting at the present day, when the Waldenses have attracted so much public notice. Your readers may see it in the Library of Trinity College, CC. e. 8. It was formerly in the possession of Archbishop Usher, and is marked in many places with MS. notes in his own handwriting. The republication of this valuable document at the present time,

* "Antistes summus, et præcipuus doctor singulorum coetuum Christianorum dicitur επɩкoños, quia ejus curæ omnis salus Christianorum commissa erat, qui interdum etiam poßurepos vocabatur, observante Theodoreto ad Phil. i. 1, scribente: επισκόπους τους πρεσβυερους καλει αμφοτερα γαρ ειχον κατ' εκείνον τον καιρον τα ονόματα : quem etiam secutus est Ecumenius ad locum eundem. Nam post apostolorum demum ætatem introductum est illud discrimen inter episcopos et presbyteros et illi præ his majorem dignitatem obtinuerunt, ut recte docuit Suicerus in Thesaur. Eccles. tom. 1, p. 1180,”— Schleusner.

would certainly throw light on a very interesting period of the history of the Waldenses; and I have been informed that a gentleman connected with the University has it in contemplation to give a reprint of it to the public, accompanied by a translation

and notes.

The volume is without a title page, and appears never to have had any. The first page exhibits the contents of the volume, which I transcribe:

*

"IN HOC VOLUMINE HÆC CONTINENTUR.

"Duplex Confessio Valdensium ad Regem Ungariæ missa.

Augustini de Olomutz, Artium et Decretorum Doctoris, Prepositi Olomucensis Ecclesiæ, Regiique Secretarii, Epistolæ contra perfidiam Valdensium. "Ejusdem Doctoris binæ litteræ ad Regiam Majestatem de Heresi Valdensium, "Excusatio Valdensium contra binas litteras Doctoris Augustini.

"Iacobi Zigleri ex Landau Bavariæ contra Heresim Valdensium, libri quinque." On the same page we find the following dedication or address to the Clergy:

"Ad præsides Christianæ rei Presbyteres, Parochos, Archidiaconos, Episcopos, et Archiepiscopos, Argumentum operis et Commendatio.

"Valdenses iidem et Pighardi multorum capitum sceleratissimam Heresim sibi suscitarunt; venerationem et intercessionem gloriosæ virginis Mariæ et sanctorum omnium aspernant; Suffragia pro mortuis negant; Purgatorium non credunt; Ecclesiasticum sacredotalem ordinem non recognoscunt; Adorationem corporis et sanguinis domini in Sacramento in Idolatriam ejiciunt; Ejus veritatem diffitent; Herbaceum aut Siligineum deum nostrum blasphemant; a tam horribili Heresi Boæmiam et Moraviam gregatim obsident; Collimitias provincias Silesiam, Poloniam, Misniam, et remotiores Valachiam, Styriam, Carinthiam, quotidie suæ heresis veneno tentant, labefactant, extraque Apostolicam obedientiam et fidem extrudere annitunt. Hac denique estate a nova rursus insania, et nescio qua Theologiæ Apologia mentito titulo, suppresso auctore, nequissimi latrones et qui fraudibus, insidiis, circumventionibus omnia, nihil aperta fronte et confesse agunt, prodierunt. Eunt et redeunt clandestinis cuniculis per Christianas dioceses perditissimi Christianæ rei perditores,dumque Apostolici pastores in dominico grege secura omnia credunt, sanguinarii lupi Pighardi apostolicum plebem invadunt, suffocant, devorant, in Sentinam hostium divinitatis gehennam transmissuri. Contra hos impurissimos Hereticos Pighardos prœsens labor noster est institutus, Propterea, Presbyteros, Parochos, Archidiaconos, Episcopos, Archiepiscopus per pastoralem eorum curam, per pontificæ Infulæ decus, per rationem quam super dominico grege ad extremum vitæ eorum et mundi diem deponent, obtestor ut hos labores nostros clementer suscipiant, cupiantque per dioceses divulgari, quum ab hoc opere et Christianam plebem contra pestilentem heresim tuebunt. Atque Christo possessionem suam contra obscoenas Vulpeculas Pigbardos illesam integramque pro optima conscientia sua sanctissime adservabunt."

This document is remarkable for the evidence it affords of the great spread of Protestant doctrine several years previous to the Reformation, as also, for the testimony which it furnishes to the persecuted situation of the Vaudois at that period, who, it is hint

* We have been compelled to modernise the Latin, as it would be impossible to represent the contractions of the original without getting types cast expressly for the purpose.