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es which lie at the foundation of any human institution. Nor is possible that any form of polity, much less polity ecclesiastical, should be good, unless God himself be author of it. Hooker.

ing to the system of Congregationalism, or to Congregationalist; holding to the faith and polity of Congregationalism; as, a Congregational church.

The faith and polity of the Congregational churches, taken collectively.

The mode of governing; the system of polity in a state; the established form of law. That free government which we have so dearly purchased, free commonwealth. Milton.

Doctrine and polity of the Independents.

Established order, method, or custom; enactment; ordinance; permanent form of law or polity. The nature of our people, Our city's institutions. Shak.

The system of doctrines, polity, and worship, of the sect called Methodists. Bp. Warburton.

reeable; repulsive; as, an odious sight; an odious smell. Milton. The odious side of that polity. Macaulay.

Civil polity. [Obs.]

Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political; as, the body politic. See under Body. He with his people made all but one politic body. Sir P. Sidney.

resbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively.

The Presbyterian religion of polity. [R.] Tatler.

of freemasonry. He looked with indifference on rites, names, and forms of ecclesiastical polity. Macaulay.

A degree of advancement in any pursuit, or of progress toward an end or result. Such a polity is suited only to a particular stage in the progress of society. Macaulay.

Not having civil polity, or a regular form of government.

The system of doctrines and church polity inculcated by John Wesley (b. 1703; d. 1791), the founder of the religious sect called Methodist; Methodism. See Methodist, n., 2.