EPISCOPALIANS, in the modern ac ceptation of the term, belong more espe cially to members of the Church of Eng land, and derive this title from episcopus, the Latin word for bishop ; or, if it be re ferred to its Greek origin, implying the care and diligence with which bishops are expected to preside over those com mitted to their guidance and direction. They insist on the divine origin of their bishops, and other church officers, and On the alliance between church and state. Respecting these subjects, how ever, Warburton and Hoadley, together with others of the learned amongst them, have different opinions, as they have also on the thirty-nine articles, which were established in the reign of Queen Eliza beth. These are to be found in most Common Prayer-Books ; and the Episco pal Church in America has reduced their number to twenty. By some the articles are made to speak the language of Calvi nism, and by others they have been in terpreted in favour of Arminianism.
The Church of England is governed by the King, who is the supreme head : by two archbishops, and twenty-four bishops.
The benefices of the bishops were con verted by William the Conqueror into temporal baronies ; so that everyprelate hat a seat and vote in the House of Peers. Dr. Benjamin Hoadley, however, in a ser mon preached from this text, " My king dom is not of this world," insisted that the clergy had no pretensions to tempo ral jurisdiction, which gave rise to vari ous publications, termed, by way of emi nence, the Bangorian Controversy, Hoad ley being then bishop of Bangor. There is a bishop of Sodor and Man, who has no seat in the House of Peers.
Since the death of the intolerant Arch bishop Laud, men of moderate princi ples have been raised to the see of Canterbury, and this bath tended not a little to the tranquillity of church and state. The established Church of Ire land is the same as the Church of Eng land, and is governed by four archbi shops, and eighteen bishops.