Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

their promotion to the rank of doctors was, that they changed their lay names
for scripture ones.” f246
Wadington quotes and adopts the statement of Mosheim as his own. f242 Kurtz:
“Their form of worship was very simple and their church government modeled
after that of apostolic times.” f249 Kurtz shows the apostolic church government
to be what we regard Baptist.
Says Hase:
“The community of Paulicians had a chief … but neither he nor any of his
fellow pilgrims (sune>khmoi) and scribes (nota>roi) exercised any hierarchal
powers.” f247
Neander says:
“They recognized it as belonging to the popular essence of christianity. That it
aimed to establish a higher fellowship of life among all ranks and all classes,
tolerating no such distinctions as the existing ones between clergy or priests
and laity. They had among them, it is true, persons who administered
ecclesiastical offices, but these, like the rest, were to be looked upon as
members of the communities. They were distinguished from others neither by
dress, nor by any outward mark. The names, also, of their church officers
were so chosen, as to denote the peculiarity of their vocation, which was to
administer the office of spiritual teaching, to the exclusion of all sacredotal
prerogatives.” f248
Dr. Brockett. says:
“A hierarchy of any sort was utterly abhorrent to the spirit and temper of both
the Bogomiles and their affiliated sects in the West.” f250
Some have supposed they had an ecclesiastical chief dignitary. But as Brockett
says, and the foregoing quotations prove:
“The Bosnian djed, or elder, seems to have been at this time about A.D. 1220
the presiding officer of the affiliated sects or denominations, somewhat like
the former presidents of our triennial conventions. He was Primus inter pares,
but possessed no judicial or ecclesiastical authority.” f252 [See Jirecek,
Geschichte der Bulgaren, p. 180.]
Neander says of their doctrine and life:
“Certain it is, that the Paulician doctrines as a whole, not only required, but
were calculated to foster, a spirit of sober and strict morality.” f251
Sir William Jones, of the Paulicians, says: