* Thi (2.) INDEFINITE, in grammar, is understood of curity from punishment; exemption from punishnouns, pronouns, verbs, participles, articles, &c. ment.--I will use all means, in the ways of am. which are left in an uncertain undeterminate sense, nefty and indemnity, which may most fully remove and not fixed to any particular time, thing, or all fears, and bury all jealousies and forgetfulness. other circumstance. King Charles. * INDEFINITELY. adv. (from indefinite.] 1. (2.) INDEMNITY, in law, is a writing to fe. Without any settled or determinate limitation.- cure one from damage and danger that may en. We observe that custom, whereunto St Paul allu- fue from any act. deth, and whereof the fathers of the church in INDEN, a town of Switzerland, in the Valais, their writings make often mention, to sew inde- 18 miles E. of Sion. finitely what was done; but not universally to bind INDEN-HOTUN, a town of Chinese Tartary, for ever all prayers unto one only fashion of utter- capital of the Mantcheon Tartars, where they beance. Hooker. We conceive no more than the gan to establish their empire over the Chinese. It letter beareth ; that is, four times, or indefinitely is 420 miles ENE. of Peking. Lon. 142. 22. E. more than thrice. Brown.-A duty to which all Ferro. Lat. 45. 46. N. are indefinitely obliged, upon some occasions, by (1.) * To INDENT. v.a. [in and dens, a tooth, the express command of God. Smalridge. 2. To Lat.) To mark any thing with inequalities like a a degree indefinite.-If the word be indefinitely ex- row of teeth; to cut in and out; to make to tended, that is, so far as no human intellect can wave or undulatefancy any bounds of it, then what we see must be About his neck the lealt part. Ray. A green and gilded snake had wreath'd itself, INDEFINITUDE. n. 1. (from indefinite.] Who with her head, nimble in threats, ap. Quanity not limited by our understanding, though proach'd yet finite.-They arise to a strange and prodigious The opening of his mouth ; but suddenly, multitude, if not indefinitude, by their various po- Seeing Orlando, it unlink'd itself, fitions, combinations, and conjunctions. Hale. And with indented glides did Nip away INDEH-SOU, a town of Turkey, in Natolia. Into a bush. Shak. Prone on the ground, as since; but on his rear Unpremeditated ; done without consideration.- Circular base of rising folds, that tower'd Actions proceeding from blandishments, or sweet Fold above fold, a surging maze! Alilton. persuafions, if they be indeliberated, as in children, Trent, who, like some earth-born giant spreads who want the use of reason, are not presently free His thirty arms along the indented meads. actions. Bramhall.-The love of God better can Milton. confift with the indeliberate commissions of many –The margins on each side do not terminate in fins, than with an allowed persistance in any one. a straight line, but are indented. Woodward. Government of the Tongue. (2.) * To INDENT. V. n. (from the method of * INDELIBLE. adj. (indelebile, French; inde- cutting counterparts of a contract together, that, lebilis, Latin ; in and delible. It Mould be writ- laid on each other, they may fit, and any want of ten indeleble. 1. Not to be blotted out or effa- conformity may discover a fraud.) To contract; ced.-Wilful perpetration of unworthy actions to bargain; to make a compact brands with indelible characters the name and me- Shall we buy treason, and indent with fears, mory. King Cbarles. When they have lost and forfeited themselves? Thy heedless Neeve will drink the colour'd oil, Shak. And spot indelible thy pocket foil. Gay. —He descends to the solemnity of a pact and co2. Not to be anulled. They are endued with venant, and has indented with us. Decay of Piety. indelible power from above, to feed, to govern this * INDENT. n. f. [from the verb.] Inequality ; houshold, and to consecrate paftors and stewards incifure; indentation. This is little used. of it to the world's end. Spratt. Trent shall not wind with such deep indent, INDELICACY. n. l. (in and delicacy.] Want To rob me of so rich a bottom here. Shak. of delicacy; want of elegant decency.--Your pa. * INDENTATION. n. f. [in and dens, Latin.] pers would be chargeable with worfe than indeli- An indenture; waving in any figure.-Themargins cacs, they would be immoral, did you treat de- do not terminate in a straight line, but are inteftable uncleanness as you rally an impertinent dented; each indentation being continued in a small ridge to the indentation that answers it on * INDELICATE. adj. [in and delicate.) Want. the opposite margin. Woodward. ing decency; void of a quick sense of decency. INDENTED, in heraldry, is when the outline INDELOVOY, a town of Hindooft an, in Dow. of an ordinary is notched like the teeth of a saw. latabad, 4 m. S. of Neermul, and 50 NNE. of Beder. (1.) * INDENTURE. n. f. (from indent.] A co * INDEMNIFICATION. n.). (from indemni. venant, so named because the counterparts are in. ty? 1. Security against loss or penalty. 2. Reim. dented or cut one by the other; a contract of bursement of loss or penalty. which there is a counterpart. In llall's chronicle * T. INDEMNIFY. v. a. (in and demnify.) !. much good matter is quite marred with indenture To secure against loss or penalty. 2. To maintain English. Aschum's Schoolmaster:unhurt.-Infolent fignifies rude and haughty, in The critic to his grief will find demnify to keep safe. Watts. How firmly these indentures bind. Swift. (1.) INDEMNITY. n. f. indemnité, Fr.) Se- (2.) INDENTURE, in law. See Deed, ” 2. K * INDEPENDENCE self-love. Addison. a 4 VOL. XII, Part I. * INDEPENDENCE. INDEPENDENCY. [independance, Fr. in and dependence.] Freedom; exemption from reliance or controul; ftate over which none has power.-Dreams may give fome idea of the great excellency of a human foul, and fome intimations of its independency on matter. Spectator. Let fortune do her worft, whatever the makes us lofe, as long as she never makes us lofe our honefty and our independence. Pope. Give me, I cry'd, enough for me, Pope. (2.) INDEPENDENCE MOUNT, a mountain of the United States, in Rutland county, Vermont. (1.) INDEPENDENT. adj. [independant, Fr. in and dependent.] Not depending; not fupported by any other; not relying on another; not controlled. It is ufed with on, of, or from, before the object; of which on feems moft proper, fince we fay to depend on, and confequently dependent on. Creation must needs infer providence, and God's making the world irrefragably, proves that he governs it too; or that a being of dependent nature remains nevertheless independent upon him in that respect. South.-Since all princes of independent governments are in a state of nature, the world never was without men in that ftate. Locke The town of St Gaul is a proteftant republic independent of the abbot, and under the protection of the cantons. Addifon. 2. Not relating to any thing else, as to a fuperior caufe or power. The confideration of our understanding, which is an incorporeal fubftance independent from matter; and the contemplation of our own bodies, which have all the ftamps and characters of excellent contrivance; these alone do very easily guide us to the wife Author of all things. Bentley. (2.) INDEPENDENT. n.. One who in religious affairs holds that every congregation is a complete church, fubject to no fuperior authority. We fhall, in our fermons, take occafion to justify fuch paffages in our liturgy as have been unjustly quarrelled at by prefbyterians, independents, or other puritan fectaries. Sanderfon. A very famous independent minifter was head of a college in thofe times. Addifon. (3.) THE INDEPENDENTS are a fect of proteftants, fo called from their maintaining that each congregation of Chriftians, which meets in one houfe for public worship, is a complete church, has full power to regulate every thing relating to religious government within itself, and is in no respect de pendent upon, or accountable to, other churches. (4.) INDEPENDENTS, HISTORY AND OPINIONS OF THE ENGLISH. The Independents arofe in England during Elizabeth's reign. The hierarchy established by her, the vestments worn by the clergy, the book of common prayer, and, above all, the fign of the crofs ufed in adminiftering of baptifm, were very offensive to many of her fubjects, who during the perfecutions of Q. Mary I. had taken refuge among the proteftants of Germany and Geneva. They thought that the church of England refembled in thefe particulars the antichristian church of Rome; and they called for a more thorough reformation and a purer worship. From this circumftance they were ftigmatized by their adversaries with the general name of PURI TANS. Elizabeth was not disposed to comply with their demands; and the Puritans were not united among themselves. Unanimous in nothing but in their antipathy to the forms of doctrine and dif cipline established by law, they were foon divided into a variety of fects. Of these the most famous was that which was formed about 1581 by Robers Brown, a man infinuating in his manners, but nei ther steady nor confiftent in his principles and con duct. See BROWN, N° 9. He did not differ much in point of doctrine, either from the church a England or from the reft of the Puritans; but h had formed notions then new and fingular, con cerning the nature of the church and the rules o ecclefiaftical government. He was for dividing the whole body of the faithful into feparate focietie or congregations; and maintained, that fuch number of perfons as could be contained in an ordinary place of worship ought to be confidered as a church, and enjoy all the rights and privilege of an ecclefiaftical community. These small fo cieties he pronounced independent, jure divino, and entirely exempt from the jurifdiction of the bi fhops, in whofe hands the court had placed the reins of fpiritual government; as well as from tha of prefbyteries and fynods, which the Puritans re garded as the fupreme vifible fources of ecclefial tical authority. He alfo maintained, that th power of governing each congregation refided in the people; and that each member had an equa fhare in this government, and an equal right to order matters for the good of the whole fociety Hence all points both of doctrine and difciplin were fubmitted to the difcuffion of the whole con gregation; and whatever was fupported by a ma jority of voices paffed into a law. The congrega tion alfo elected certain brethren to the office o paftors, to perform the duties of public inftruc tion and divine worship; referving however to themselves the power of difmiffing thefe minifters and reducing them to the condition of privat members, whenever they should think fuch a step conducive to the fpiritual advantage of the com munity. The right of the paftors to preach was no exclufive, or peculiar to them alone. Any mem ber who thought proper to exhort or inftruct the brethren, was indulged in the liberty of prophe fying or preaching. The zeal with which Brown and his affociates propagated these opinions wa in a high degree intemperate. He affirmed, tha all communion was to be broken off with tho religious focieties that were founded upon a dir ferent plan from his; and treated the church o England as a fpurious church, whofe minifters wer unlawfully ordained, whofe difcipline was popi and antichriftian, and whofe facraments and inft tutions were deftitute of all efficacy and virtue The fect of this hot-headed innovator, unable t endure the fevere treatment which their own vid lence brought upon them from an arbitrary admi niftration, retired into the Netherlands, and found ed churches at Middlebourg, Amfterdam, an Leyden; but their founder returned to England and having renounced his principles of feparation took orders in the established church, and obtain ed a benefice. The Puritan exiles, whom he thu abandoned ( 75 ) I N D abandoned, foon split into parties, and their affairs edit.) that they could not so much as endure ordeclined. This engaged the wiser part of them dinary minifters in the church, &c. is groundless. to mitigate the severity of their founder's plan, He was led into this mistake by confounding the and to soften the rigour of his uncharitable deci- Independents and Brownists. Other charges, no fions. The person who had the chief merit of less unjustifiable, have been urged against the Inbringing about this reformation was John Robin- dependents, by this celebrated historian, and fon, one of their pastors, a man who had much others. Rapin fays, that they abhorred monarchy, piety, and no inconsiderable portion of learning. and approved of a republican government. This This well-meaning reformer, perceiving the de- might have been true with regard to many perfeets that reigned in the discipline of Brown, and fons among them, in common with other sects; io the spirit and temper of bis followers, employ- but it does not appear, from any of their public ed his zeal and diligence in correcting them, and writings, that republican principles formed their in new modelling the society, so as to render it less distinguishing characteristic. On the contrary, in odious to its adversaries, and less liable to the just a public memorial drawn up by them in 1647, censure of those true Christians, who look upon they declare, that they do not disapprove of any charity as the chief end of the commandments. form of civil government, but do freely acknowHitherto the sect had been called BROWNISTS: ledge, that a kingly government, bounded by juft (See that article.) But Robinson having, in his Apo- and wholesome laws, is both allowed by God, logy, affirmed, Cætum quemlibet particularem efle too and also a good accommodation unto men. The tam, integram, et perfe&am ecclefiam, ex fuis par- ; Independents, however, have been generally rankfibus constantem, immediate et INDEPENDENTER Led among the regicides, and charged with the quoad alias ecclefias) fub ipso Chrifto, the sect was death of Charles I. Whether this fact be admithenceforth called Independents, of which the apo- 'ted or denied, no conclufion can be fairly drawn logist was considered as the founder. The Inde. ''from the greater prevalence of republican prin. pendents were much more commendable than the "ciples, or from violent proceedings at that period, Brownifts. They furpassed them both in the mo- that can affect the distinguishing tenets and con. deration of their sentiments and the order of their duct of the Independents in our times. It is cer. difcipline. They did not, like Brown, pour forth tain, that the prefent Independents are fteady bitter and uncharitable invectives against the friends to a limited monarchy. Rapin is farther churches which were governed by rules entirely mistaken, when he represents the religious prindifferent from theirs, nor pronounce théin on that. eiples of the English Independents as contrary to account unworthy of the Christian name. On the those of all the rest of the world. It appears from contrary, though they considered their own form two confeflions of faith, one composed by Robinof ecclefiaftical government aś of divine inftitu. son, on behalf of the English Independents in Hol. tion, and as originally introduced by the authori- land, and published at Leyden in 1619, entitled, ty of the apoftles, nay, by the apostles themselves, Apologia pro Exulibus Anglis, qui Brownista vulgo they had yet candour and charity enough to ac. ^ appellantur ; and another drawn up in London in knowledge, that true religion and solid piety 1658, by the principal members of this commumight flourish in communities under the jurisdic. nity in England, entitled, “ A Declaration of the tion of bishops, or the government of fynods and Faith and Order, owned and practised by the Conpresbyteries. They were also much more atten- gregational Churches in England, agreed upon tive than the Brownists, in keeping on foot a re, and confented unto by their Elders and Mellengular miniftry in their communities : for while the gers, in their Meeting at the Savoy, Oct. 12. 1685;" latter allowed promiscuously all ranks and orders as well as from other writings of the Indepenof men to teach in public, the Independents had, dents, that they differed from the rest of the re. and still have, a certain number of ministers, cho- formed in no single point of any consequence, exsen respectively by the congregations where they cept that of ecclefiaftical government; and their are fixed; nor is any person among them permit- religious doctrines were almost entirely the same ted to speak in public, before he has submitted to with those adopted by the church of Geneva. a proper examination of his capacity and talents, During the administration of Cromwell, the Indeand been approved of by the heads of the congre. pendents 'acquired very considerable reputation gation. This society has produced divines as emi. and influence; and he made use of them as a check nent for learning, piety, and virtue, as any church to the ambition of the Presbyterians, who aimed in Chriftendom. From 1642, the Independents at a very high degree of ecclefiaftical power, and are very frequently mentioned in the English an- who had succeeded, soon after the elevation of nals. The English Independents assumed this title · Cromwell , in obtaining a parliamentary establishpublicly in a piece which they published at Lon- ment of their own church government. But after don, in 1644, entitled Apologetical Narration of the restoration their cause declined, and in 1691 the Independents. But afterwards, to avoid the 'they entered into an association with the Presby. odium of sedition and anarchy charged on the feet, terians residing in and about London, comprised the true and genuine Independents renounced this in nine articles, that tended to the maintenance of title, and called themselves' Congregational Bre- their respective institutions. These may be found thren, and their religious assemblies congregational in the ad volume of Whiston's Memoirs, and the churches . The first independent or congregational substance of them in Mosheim. At this time the church in England was set up in 1616, by Mr Independents and Prefbyterians, called from this Jacob, who had adopted the religious sentiments association the United Brethren, were agreed with of Robinson. The charge alleged against them by regard to doctrines, being generally Calvinists, and Rapin, (in his Hif. of England, vol. ii. p. 514. fol, differed only with respect to ecclefiaftical difci K 2 pline. But at prefent, though the English Independents and Prefbyterians form two diftinct parties of Proteftant Diffenters, they are distinguished by very trifling differences with regard to church go vernment; and the denominations are more arbitrarily used to comprehend those who differ in theological opinions. The Independents are generally more attached to the tenets diftinguished by the term ORTHODOX or CALVINISM, than the PRESBYTERIANS. INDEPENDENTISM is peculiar to Great Britain, the United States, and the Batavian republic. It was carried first to the American colonies, in 1620, and by fucceffive Puritan emigrants, in 1629, and 1633, from England. One Morel, in the 16th century, endeavoured to introduce it into France; but it was condemned at the fynod of Rochelle, where Beza prefided; and again at the fynod of Rochelle, in 1644. On this fubject, fee Mofheim's Eccl. Hift. by Maclean, vol iv. Neal's Hift. of the Puritans, vol. ii. iii. and iv. and Burnet's Hift. of his own Times, vol. i. &c. ... (5.) INDEPENDENTS, PECULIAR TENETS OF THE. The Independents are diftinguished from other Proteftant communities chiefly by the two following circumftances: 1. They reject the ufe of all creeds and confeflions drawn up by fallible men, requiring of their teachers no other teft of orthodoxy than a declaration of their belief in the gofpel of Jefus, and their adherence to the Scriptures as the fole standard of faith and practice. 2. They attribute no virtue whatever to the rite of ordination; for they declare, that the qualifications which conftitute a regular minifter of the New Teftament, are, a firm belief in the gofpel, a principle of fincere and unaffected piety, a competent ftock of knowledge, a capacity for leading devotion and communicating inftruction, a ferious inclination to engage in the important employ. ment of promoting the everlafting falvation of mankind, and ordinarily an invitation to the paftoral office from fome particular fociety of Chriftians. Where these things concur, they confider a perfon as fitted and authorised for the difcharge of every duty which belongs to the minifterial function; and they believe that the impofition of the hands of bifhops or prefbyters would convey to him no powers or prerogatives, of which he was not before poffeffed. (6.) INDEPENDENTS, REASONS URGED BY THE, AGAINST THE USE OF CREEDS. When the reformers separated from the church of Rome, they drew up public confeffions of faith, to which they demanded fubfcription from their respective followers. Their object was to guard againft dangerous herefies, to ascertain the meaning of Scripture language, and to promote the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace. Thefe were laudable ends; but of the means chosen for attaining them, Dr Taylor of Norwich, the glory of the Independent churches, and whose learning would have done honour to any church, expreffes his opinion in the following indignant language: "How much foever the Chriftian world valueth thefe creeds and confeffions, I confefs, for my own part, that I have no opinion of them. But we are told that they were generally drawn up by the ableft divines. But what evidence is there of this? are divines in vogue and power commonly the moft knowing and upright? But granting that the reformers were in those days the ableft divines the ableft divines educated in Popish schools, not withstanding any pretended learning, might com paratively be very weak and defective in fcrip ture knowledge, which was a thing in a manne new to them. In times of great ignorance they might be men of eminence; and yet far fhor of being qualified to draw up and decide the tru and precife rules of faith for all Chriftians. Yea their very attempting to draw up, decide, an establish, such rules of faith, is an inconteftible evi dence of their furprising ignorance and weakness How could they be able divines, when they impo fed upon the confciences of Chriftians their ow decifions concerning gospel, faith, and doctrine Was not this in fact to teach and conftrain Chri tians to depart from the most fundamental prin ciple of their religion, subječtion and allegiances Chrift, the only teacher and lawgiver? But if the were able men, were they infallible? No: the publicly affirmed their own fallibility; and f they acted as if they had been infallible, and coul not be mistaken in prescribing faith and doctrine But even if they were infallible, who gave ther commiffion to do what the Spirit of God had don already? Could the first reformers hope to delive the truths of religion more fully and more clearl than the Spirit of God? Had they found ou more apt expreffions than had occurred to th Holy Spirit? The Son of God' ipake not of him felf; but as the Father faid unto him, fo he spake (John xii. 50.) The Spirit of truth spake not himself; but whatfoever he heard, that he spake (John xvi. 13.) The things of God the apoft fpake, not in the words which man's wifdo teacheth, but which the Holy Ghoft teacheth (1 Cor. ii. 13.) If the Christian revelation w thus handed down to us from the Fountain Light with so much care and exactness, both as matter and words, by the Son of God, by the Sp rit, and by the Apostles, who were the ancie doctors and bishops? or who were the first refo mers? or who were any fynods or affemblies divines, that they dared to model Chriftian fai into their own invented forms, and impofe it up the minds of men in their own devifed terms an expreffions? Hath Chrift given authority to all minifters, to the end of the world, to new mou his doctrines by the rlues of human learning, whe ever they think fit? or hath he delegated his pow to any particular perfons? Neither the one n the other. His doctrines are not of fuch a ducti nature; but ftand fixed, both as to matter a words, in the Scripture. And it is at any man peril, who pretends to put them, as they are ru of faith, into any new drefs or shape. I conclu therefore, that the first reformers, and all cou cils, fynods, and affemblies, who have met tog ther to collect, determine, and decide, to pr fcribe and impofe matters pertaining to Chrifti faith, have acted without any warrant from Chri and therefore have invaded the prerogative of hi who is the fole Prophet and Lawgiver to t church. Peace and unity, I know, is the preten ed good defign of thofe creeds and confeflior 'But as God never fanctified them for thofe end fo all the world knows they have produced t contra contrary effects; difcord, divifion, and the fpilling of whole feas of Chriftian blood, for 1400 years together."-Such fentiments as thefe are now maintained by Chriftians of various denominations; but they were firft avowed by the Independents. The Independents acknowledge as divine truth every doctrine contained in the Scriptures; but they think scripture doctrines are moft properly expreffed in fcripture language; and the fame fpirit of religious liberty, which makes them reject the authority of bishops and fynods in matters of difcipline, makes them reject all fuch authority in matters of faith. In either cafe, to call any man or body of men their masters, would, in their opinion, be contrary to the words of him who fays, "one is your master, even Christ, and all ye are brethren." places. Thus when Paul on his journey calls the elders of the church of Ephefus to Miletus, he speaks to them as the joint overfeers of a fingle congregation. See Acts xx. 28. Had the church at Ephefus confifted of different congregations united under fuch a jurisdiction as that of a modern prefbytery, it would have been natural to fay, "Take heed to yourselves, and to the flocks over which the Holy Ghoft hath made you overfeers:" but this is a way of speaking of which the Independents find not an inftance in the whole New Teftament. The facred writers, when speaking of all the Chriftians in a nation or province, never call them the church of such a nation or prevince, but the churches of Galatia, (Gal. i. 2.), of Macedonia, (2 Cor. viii. 1.), and of Afia. (1 Cor. xvi. 10.) On the other hand, when speaking of the difciples in a city or town, who might ordinarily affemble in one place, they uniformly call them a church; faying the church of Antioch, the church at Corinth, the church of Ephefus, and the like. In each of these churches or congregations there were elders or prefbyters, and deacons ; and in every church there feems to have been more than one elder, in fome many, who all “làboured in word and doctrine." Thus we read (Acts xiv. 23.) of Paul and Barnabas ordaining dders in every church; and (Acts xx. 17.) of a company of elders in the church of Ephefus, who were exhorted to "feed the flock, and to take heed to themselves, and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghof had made them overfeers:" but of fuch elders as are to be found in modern prefbyterian churches, who neither teach, nor are apt to teach, the Independents find no veftige in the Scriptures, nor in the earliest writers of the Chrif tian church. The rule or government of this prefbytery or eldership in a church is not their own, but Chrift's. They are not lords over God's heritage, nor can they pretend to more power over the difciples than the apoftles had. But when the adminiftration of the apostles in the church of Jerufalem, and other churches where they acted as elders, is inquired into by an Independent, it does not appear to him that they did any thing of common concern to the church, without the confent of the multitude: nay, it seems they thought it neceffary to judge and determine in difcipline in prefence of the whole church. (Acts vi. 1-6. xv. 22. 1 Cor. v. 3, 4, 5.) Excommunication and abfolution were in the power of the church at Corinth, and not of the Elders, as diftinguished from the congregation. (1 Cor. v. 2 Cor. ii.) The apoftle indeed fpeaks of his delivering fome unto Satan, (1 Tim. i. 20.) but it is by no means clear that he did it by himself, and not after the manner pointed at, 1 Cor. v. 4, 5; even as it does not appear, from his faying, in one epiftle, that the gift was given unto Timothy by the putting on of his hands, that this was not done in the prefbytery of a church, as in the other epiftle we find it actually was. The trying and judging of falfe apoftles was a matter of the first importance: but it was done by the elders with the flock at Ephefus, (Rev. ii. 2. Acts xx. 28.); and that whole flock did in the days of Ignatius all partake of the Lord's fupper, and pray together in one place. Even the power of binding and loofing, or the power of the (7) INDEPENDENTS, REASONS URGED BY THE, FOR CONGREGATIONAL CHURCHES, &c. In fupport of this scheme, they obferve, that the word A, tranflated church, is always used in Scripture to fignify either a fingle congregation, or the place where a fingle congregation meets. Thus that unlawful affembly at Ephefus, brought together against Paul by the craftsmen, is called xxx, church. Acts xix. 32, 39, 41. The word, however, is generally applied to a more facred ufe; but still it fignifies either the body affembling, or the place in which it affembles. The whole body of the dif. ciples at Corinth is called the church, and fpoken of as coming together into one place. 1 Cor. xiv. 23. The place into which they came together we find likewife called a church. See 1 Cor. xi. 18, 20. Wherever there were more congregations than one, there were likewife more churches than one. See 1 Cor. xi. 18. The whole nation of Ifrael is indeed called a church, but it was no more than a fingle congregation; for it had but one place of public worthip, viz. firft the tabernacle, and afterwards the temple. The Catholic church of Chrift, his holy nation and kingdom, is alfo a fingle congregation, having one place of worthip, viz. been, where all the members affemble by faith and bold communion; and in which, when they hail all be fully gathered together, they will in fact be one glorious affembly. We find it called the general affembly and church of the firftbom, whofe names are written in heaven." The Independent can find no other defcription of a church in the New Testament; not a trace of a diocefs or prefbytery confifting of feveral congregations all fubject to one jurifdiction. The number of difciples in Jerufalem was certainly great before they were difperfed by the perfecution; yet they are never mentioned as forming diftinct affemblies, but as one affembly meeting with its elders in one place; fometimes in the temple, fome times in Solomon's porch, and fometimes in an upper room. After the difperfion, the difciples, who fled from Jerufalem, as they could no longer affemble in one place, are never called a church by themselves, or one church, but the churches of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, (Acts ix. 31. Gal. i. 22) Whence the Independents conclude, that in Jerufalem the words church and congregation were of the fame import; and if fuch was the cafe there, where the gofpel. was firft preached, we may reafonably expect to find it fo in other keys, |