the territories and dominions to them precedence. The Panama question belonging." They were, it seems, was discussed in the Senate chiefly driven to this measure by a fierce war- with closed doors. With what politifare brought against them by the Ku6- cal logic and foresight, therefore, our soos, a tribe of the interior, who having southern statesmen, so long withstood successively trodden down their neigh- the measure, we have not been permithours, had at length reached the Sher- ted to see, nor have we room, or time, bro Bulloms, in their devastating pro- to digest what we have seen. Mr. gress, and threatened them with de Randolph, in a very discursive speech, struction or slavery.

endeavoured to embarrass the subject The country thus unexpectedly ceded by connecting it with negro emancito the British, lies directly south-east pation : it would affect, ultimately, the of Sierra Leone and comprises a line condition of slavery in the United of sea coast of 120 miles in length, and States. By what process his erratic upwards of 5000 square miles of the mind reached this conclusion, we canmost fertile land in this part of Africa, not tell; except that the sable skin being watered with seven rivers of con- of those who will compose the congress siderable extent and importance. The at Panama, the emancipation acts of produce of these rivers has always been the South American governments, the very great; and will rapidly increase character of Bolivar, Cuba, Hayti, and in quantity, as the property of the na- the Colonization Society, were links tives is now rendered secure from plun. in the chain. The question was finally der and devastation. The principal settled by a small majority in favour articles of lawful export have hitherto of the mission. The yote was taken at been ivory, palm-oil, camwood, and two o'clock in the morning, the marice: of the latter, the Bagroo river jority having resolved not to adjourn alone furnished 600 tons in one season. without a decision.

However the good people of Eng- The subject is now before the House, land may be disposed to congratulate with whom it remains to provide for the themselves on account of the commer- expense of the mission. cial advantages which they will derive Of the multitude, we had almost said, from this acquisition, there is another of proposed amendments to the constipoint of view in which they will deem tution, some have had the merit of reit still more important, and on account quiring little discussion, and most have of which the philanthropic of all coun- furnished evidence of the ambition, tries will make them welcome to their retrospective or prospective, in which new possession. The traffic in human they had their birth. Some may bave flesh can no longer exist in the ceded been dictated by honest, perhaps enterritory. “ The slave trade of the lightened patriotism. Those introducoast between Sierra Leone and the ced by Mr. McDuffie, have been zealGallinas" says the editor of the ously supported and ably opposed. We London Missionary Register, “ is are sorry to find Mr. Everett, in his elfor ever annihilated. We may fairly oquent speech on this subject, straying compute, that from 15,000 to 20,000 from the principles in which, as a citiwretched beings were annually export- zen of a free state, he had been educaed from the territory lately acquired : itted, broadly to avow his approbation of was to support this horrible trade that negro slavery, and justifying this avovthe surrounding nations were constant al by arguments which would go equally engaged in sanguinary wars; which ly to support the Holy Alliance or have nearly depopulated the once rich whatever other form of political desand fertile countries of the Sherbro." potism, the orator may have declaimed

against on other occasions.

A project for the colonization of the CONGRESSIONAL.-If the comparative aboriginees has been submitted by the importance of the subjects which have Secretary of War, to the Committee occupied Congress for the last six or on Indian affairs. In its general feaeight weeks, is to be estimated by the tures it resembles the plan proposed last length and number of speeches they year by Mr. Calboun. But we have have called forth, the mission to Pana- no room, we find, for this or other to. ma, and various resolutions, to amend pics on which we intended to remark. the constitution must have the

DOMESTIC.

Answers to Correspondents next month.

LAY PRESBYTERS, No. XVIII. the greatest and best ;f but as he JEROM was born in the upper con

needed no emolument, he coveted fines of Dalmatia, before A. D. 345.

no preferment in the church. He After preparatory instructions at acquiesced in the aggrandizement Stridon, and great progress in phi

and influence of the ecclesiastical lology at Rome, he went into Gaul establishment, because he thought in quest of higher proficiency. Hay. the exercise of power necessary to ing returned from Rome, where he

the government of the church; but had been baptized, he proceeded to he would have the superior clergy Antioch and Jerusalem. In Syria he

to remember, that by the word of devoted four years to the prosecu- and that all higher authority was

God they were only presbyters, tion of oriental languages.

founded only on custom. At Antioch he sided with Paulinus, by advice from Damasus, bi

In writing a translation and a

commentary upon the scriptures, shop of Rome, and A. D. 375 con

which were to continue to remote sented to be ordained presbyter, but not to serve as such." Thus at generations, we naturally expect liberty, he chose Bethlehem as his his most matured judgment; and residence, whence he visited Gre- therefore begin with his obserra gory Nazianzen at Constantinople.

tions on Titus i. 5., &c. In 382, coming to Rome, he was carefully consider the words of the

, detained by Damasus, to whom his apostle; that you may appoint knowledge of languages, the scrip- presbyters through the cities as I die tures, and the world, seemed indis- rected you ;' who describing after

wards the character to be ordained pensable. Upon the demise of the bishop

a presbyter, and having observed, of Rome, he retired to his beloved

If any be blameless, not a polygaBethlehem with a number of re

mist,' &c., then subjoined, for it cluses. After visiting Egypt, he becomes a bishop to be blameless

, as ,

a steward of God. A presbyter spent the residue of a long life in retirement at Bethlehem with his

| “Plane cum boni omnes admirantur et chosen friends, and died about 420. diligunt.” Id. 506.

Devoted to study,* and unrivalled “ Idem est ergo presbyter, qui et episcoin learning, the shared the esteem of pus, et antequam diaboli instinctu, studia in

66 Let us

6

1

is the same, therefore, as a bishop; viting the presbyters of the one and before there arose by the city, Ephesus, he afterwards calls temptation of the devil, preferences the same bishops. If that epistle in religion, and it was said among which is written to the Hebrews the people, “I am of Paul, I of under the name of Paul, be reApollos, 1 of Cephas,' the churches ceived, there also the care of a were governed by a common coun- church is equally divided among cil of presbyters. But afterwards many ; forasmuch as he writes to every one esteeming those whom the people, Obey your leaders, and he had baptized as his own, not be in subjection, for they watch for Christ's; it was decreed through- your souls, as rendering an account, out the world, that one chosen from lest they may do this with sorrow; the presbyters should be placed since this is to your advantage.? above the rest, to whom the care And Peter, who derived his name of the whole church should belong, from the firmness of his faith, and the source of all discord be re- speaks in his epistle, saying, moved. If it be supposed this is Wherefore the presbyters among not the sense of the scriptures, but you I entreat, who am a co-presby

I my own opinion, that bishop and ter, and witness of the sufferings of presbyter are one, and that one is Christ, who am also an associato in the name of age, the other of of- the glory which is hereafter to be refice; read again the words of the vealed; feed the Lord's flock, which apostle to the Philippians— Paul is among you, not from necessity but and Timothy, servants of Jesus chuice.*

' Christ, to all the saints in Christ Je- * † These things are recorded sus, who are at Philippi, with the that we may show, that the ancient bishops and deacons, grace to you, presbyters were the same as the and peace,' &c. Philippi is a sin- bishops, but by little and little, that gle city of Macedonia, and certain- the roots of dissensions might be ly there could not be in the one torn up, the whole trouble was decity many bishops, in the present volved on one. Wherefore, as meaning of the term. But because presbyters know that they are subat that time they called the same jected to him who shall have been persons bishops whom they called placed over them by the custom of presbyters, on that account he the church, so the bishops may spoke of bishops indifferently as of know that they are greater than presbyters. This may still seem presbyters, rather by custom than doubtful to some, unless it be by the verity of the Lord's approved by another testimony. It is pointment; and that they ought to written in the Acts of the Apostles, govern the church in common, that when he had come to Miletus, imitating Moses, who, when he he sent to Ephesus and called the presbyters of that church, to whom * Jerom has omitted ETITKOTT OUV/es in 1 Pet. he afterwards said, among other

v. 2., but given it elsewhere. things, attend to yourselves, and to

† Hæc propterea, ut ostenderemus apad

veteres eosdem fuisse presbyteros quos et all the flock over which the Holy episcopos, paulatim vero ut dissensionum Spirit hath placed you bishops, to feed

plantaria evellerentur, ad unum omnern soli

citudinem esse delatam. Sicut ergo presbythe Church of the Lord, which he has

had it in his power to preside over episcopacy at the period of the the people of Israel alone, selected schism at Corinth, and then pro. seventy, with whom he might ceeded to the argument for origijudge the people."*

nal presbyterial parity from four Jerom imputes the origin of different facts, all of which must episcopacy, not to the preference have occurred subsequently to the of one apostle to another, in the time which he had just before aschurch of Corinth; I am of Paul, signed as the termination of such &c.; for no one of them became su- equality among presbyters. Had perior in office to the rest ; but to Jerom said, that because of this the capricious farouritism of the schism at Corinth, it was decreed people for particular presbyters, in all the world to devolve the and to the ambitious efforts of those power on one, the four instances officers, who aimed to promote which immediately follow of the thengselves rather than to advance identity of the presbyterial and the cause of Christ, which he as- episcopal office, would have been serts produced the general consent, palpable contradictions of himself. by little and little, to transfer the Equally futile is the position that responsibility of superintendence since there were neither synods from the council of presbyters to a nor councils to pass the decree single presbyter in each church, which he mentions, Jerom must for the prevention of divisions. have supposed it was ordained by From his expressions, “Before-- the apostles. His language fairly it was said among the people, I am implies, that the decree was the of Paul, and I of Apollos, &c." general adoption of the expedient, which obtained at Corinth many of the responsibility of one presbyyears before the death of Paul, it ter, by the churches throughout the has been inferred that the authori- world; which agrees with his rety of the presbyteries was devolved presentation of this change as a on bishops before the deaths of the custom, which came on gradually apostles. But this quotation was a till it universally prevailed. Jemere accommodation of scripture rom's legitimate inference of orilanguage to the evils of after times, ginal parity, from the identity of for he speaks not of the transfer of the commission, qualifications, and authority from many apostles to duties, and the promiscuous use of one, but of that of the presbyters the names of presbyter and bishop, of a church to one of their num- in the apostolic times, excludes also ber. When Clement wrote his first the idea of an inferior order of letter to the Corinthians, which all presbyters in his day; for otheracknowledge genuine, they had no wise his terms should have been bishop, and this was a little before restricted. The sameness of orthe death of the last apostle. It der in the apostolic age, which Tihas been also justly answered to tus was to establish in all the cities the strange inference, that the date of Crete, is clearly evinced to have of the letter to the Corinthians, then existed at Philippi, Ephesus, which has thus been assigned as Pontus, and at the place of the destithe time of the introduction of epis- nation of the letter to the Hebrews; copacy, was prior to the call of and it may be presumed, until an exMiletus, to the letter to the Phi- ception can be shown, in all other lippians, to the epistle to the He- Christian churches. The opposibrews, and to the first epistle of tion of the terms bishop and deaPeter; and that Jerom would not con is obvious, but none exists behave placed the introduction of tween the words bishop and pres

byter, which may well signify the Tom. VI.

same officer.

And the omission

p.

199.

of presbyters in Phil. i. 1., and of ed upon the dignity of the high their qualifications in other letters, priest." But that its original conwhere those of bishops are given; dition when left by the apostles was the promiscuous use of the terms, otherwise, he knew and has shown. as well as the historical fact of the Against this, his catalogue of illusaccumulation of the power of the trious writers is cited, where James TROECTWS, or ruling elder by general the author of the epistle is said to consent, all show that they were at have been ordained (ordinatus) bifirst identically the same. The in- shop of Jerusalem by the apostles.

. ference of Jerom that since this The genuineness of this passage preference of one was by the cus- has been often disputed, and standtom of the church, and not by the ing among numerous interpolations, appointment of the Lord, that it is probably a corruption. But if therefore the bishops ought to go- received, it concludes nothing, bevern in common with the presby- cause bishop may be taken in its apters, was not only an appeal to pellative sense, overseer, and there their consciences, but the clear ex- may have been an understanding pression of the opinion of this among the apostles that he should learned man, that episcopal pre- remain there, having, with the eminence was destitute of aposto- presbyters, the oversight of that lical and scriptural foundation. important station. But if the aposFrom the words, " imitating Moses, tle James was ordained a bishop by who, when he had it in his power the other apostles, it was a mere to preside over the people alone, nullity, if the offices be the same; selected seventy with whom he if diverse, the apostles either exmight judge the people," an incon- alted him to a higher office, for clusive argument has been elicited which they had no power; or they for a divine right in bishops, be- degraded him to an inferior, withcause Moses had such right. But out a fault, and for no purpose that bishops, otherwise than which he might not effect as an presbyters, are destitute of such apostle.* Also, if Jerom said this, right, is the very thing which Je- he contradicted himself. rom has proved from their scrip- His letter to Evagrius, treating tural identity, and confirmed by of the same subject, may be thus fact; founding modern episcopacy rendered: “We read in Isaiah, ' A on custom and general consent. He fool will utter foolish things.? I can, consistently with himself, have hear that a certain person has bromeant no more by the example of ken out into such a frenzy, as that Moses, than that if the Jewish law- he would honour deacons more than giver, whose commission was imme- presbyters, that is, than bishops. diately from God,so condescended in For since the apostle explicitly dividing his power,a fortiori bishops teaches that presbyters and bishops should remember the original ad- were the same, what calamityt has ministration, and that their pre- this servitor of tables and widows eminence was merely established

as