2.  There were in Jerusalem proselytes also, Romans, Cappadocians, Cretians, and Arabians, Acts ii. 10, 11; how could they be edified in the faith, if only one congregation, where nothing but Hebrew was spoken, met in Jerusalem; if so be there were not other congregations for men of other languages, that understood not the Hebrew tongue?

IV.  From the manner of Christians’ public meetings in those primitive times, both in the church of Jerusalem and in other churches.  It is plain that the multitudes of Christians in Jerusalem, and other churches, could not possibly meet all together in one single congregation, inasmuch as they had no public temples, or capacious places for worship and partaking of all ordinances, (as we now have,) but private places, houses, chambers, or upper rooms, (as the unsettled state of the Church and troublesomeness of those times would permit,) which in all probability were of no great extent, nor any way able to contain in them so many thousand believers at once, as there were:  “They met from house to house, to break bread,” Acts ii. 46.  “In an upper room the apostles with the women and brethren continued in prayer and supplication,” Acts i. 12-14.  We read of their meetings in the house of Mary, Acts xii. 12.  In the school of one Tyrannus, Acts xix. 9.  In an upper chamber at Troas, Acts xx. 8.  In Paul’s own hired house at Rome, Acts xxviii. 30, 31.  In the house of Aquila and Priscilla, where the church met, therefore called the church in his house, Rom. xvi. 5; 1 Cor. xvi. 19.  In the house of Nimphas, Col. iv. 15, and in the house of Archippus, Philem. 2.  This was their manner of public meetings in the apostles’ times:  which also continued in the next ages, as saith Eusebius,[111] till, by indulgence of succeeding emperors, they had large churches, houses of public meeting erected for them.

To sum up all:  1.  There were in the church at Jerusalem greater numbers of believers than could possibly meet at once to partake of all Christ’s ordinances. 2.  There were more church officers than one single congregation could need, or than could be fully employed therein, unless we will say, that they preached but seldom. 3.  There was such diversity of languages among them, that they must needs rank themselves into several congregations, according to their languages, else he that spoke in one language to hearers of many several languages, would be a barbarian to them, and they to him. 4.  Finally, their places of ordinary meeting were private, of small extent, incapable of containing so many thousands at once as there were believers; and by all these, how evident is it, that there must needs be granted that there were more congregations than one in this one church of Jerusalem!

II.  The church of Antioch, in Syria, consisted also of more congregations than one.  This appears,