Lib. 3. cap. 3. & apud Eufeb. lib 4. cap. 13.

† Ep. 65.

Ep. 55.

* Ep 27.

St. Irenaus who lived very near the time of St. Ignatius, and was himself Bishop of Lyons in an Age when it is allowed by the Learned Presbyterians, that Bishops were Superior to Presbyters, and therefore when he speaks of a Bishop, must be supposed to understand the Superior by that Word, tells us, that He knew St. Polycarp, and was inftructed by him and that he was conftituted by the Apoftles Bishop of Smyrna. My next Teftimonies for Epifcopal Government, and for Bishops as diftinct from Presbyters shall be taken from St. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage who flourished not much above two hundred Years after our Saviour's Affenfion. † He tells us, that our Lord himself elected Apostles, that is, adds he, Bishops and Prelates. And in a Letter of his to Cornelius Bishop of Rome, upon Occafion of the Infolence of Feliciffimus and Fortunatus, two turbulent Presbyters who disturbed the Peace of that Church, he writes thus ; * If it be fo, my dearest Brother, that the Boldnefs of evil Men is to be feared, and that what wicked Perfons are not able to compass by Right and Equity they will effect by Rafhnefs and Defpair, the Force of Epifcopacy, and the Sublime Divine Power of Church Government is loft, neither can we be or continue Chriftians any longer, if it come to this, that we must be afraid of the Threatnings or Snares of Profligate Wretches. Thus you fee this Holy and Ancient Father calls the Epifcopal Government Divine, and esteemed it so necessary to the Church of Chrift, that he judged it impoffible for us to be Chriftians if the Epifcopal Authority was once contemned by Presbyters. And again writing to the Lapfed, that is fuch as had fallen away and renounced the Faith in time of Perfecution, *Our Lord, fays he, whofe

Precepts

Precepts we ought to fear and obferve, fetling the Honour of the Bishop and the State of the Church, Speaks thus in the Gospel, and fays unto Peter, I, Jay unto thee thou art Peter, and upon this Rock will I build my Church, and the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against it; And unto thee will I give the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth, fhall be bound in Heaven, and whatfoever thou shalt loofe in Earth, fhall be loofed in Heaven. From thenceforwards the Ordination of Bishops, and the State of the Church has continued thro' all the Changes of Times and Succeffions, fo as that the Church is founded upon the Bishops, and every Act of the Church is governed by them who are its Prelates. Thefe Teftimonies fure are fufficient to fhew that St. Cyprian judged that the Biskops from our Saviour's own Lifetime here on Earth, had the chief Powers in all Ecclefiaftical Affairs, and that no other was equal to 'em. And that he did not think Presbyters equal to 'em or the fame with 'em is most certain, for he most evidently diftinguishes the Bishop from the Presbyters in his Epiftle to Antonianus, concerning the Schifm+ Ep. $2. in the Church of Rome when Novatianus was fet up by his Party in Oppofition to Cornelius their true Bishop. I wrote, fays he, to the Clergy of Rome, then without a Bishop, and to the Confeffors, Maximus the Presbyter, and the rest which were in Prifon with him. Nothing can be plainer than this Diftinction, for he fays they were without a Bishop, and yet at the fame time speaks of his Writing to Maximus the Presbyter. And the many Epiftles he writes to the Presbyters and Deacons of his own Church of Carthage, wherein he fpeaks of himfelfas their Bishop, and frequently expreffes him

felf

felf in an Epifcopal Stile, with Authority, as we fay, are fufficient Evidences that thefe Orders of Bishops and Presbyters were distinct in Ep. 1o. 11, 12. his Days. And in three Epistles together he condemns his Presbyters for not confidering the Honor and Obedience they owed to the Bishop who prefided over them. For further Satisfaction in this Matter and more Proofs from this Father concerning the Difference be tween Bishops and Presbyters I fhall refer to +Ep. 21, 22, 26, the Epiftles cited in the Margent.

28, 30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 38, 39, 65,69,75.

St. Auguftin in his Commentary on Pfalm XLV. 17. Inftead of thy Fathers thou shalt have Children whom thou mayeft make Princes in all Lands, has thefe words. What is the meaning of this, Inftead of thy Fathers thou fhalt have Children? The Apoftles were fent as Fathers: Inftead of the Apoftles Sons are born to thee, they are made Bishops: For from whence are those Bifhops born that are now in the World? The Church her felf calls them Fathers, fhe bare them, he has placed them in the Seats of the Fathers. Do not then think thy felf deferted, because thou feeft not Peter, because thou feeft not Paul, because thou fecft not thofe by whom thou waft Born: Out of thine own Off-fpring thou haft obtained a Fatherhood. Inftead of thy Fathers, Sons are born to thee: Thou shalt make them Princes over all the Earth.

St. Jerom himself, the pretended Patron of the Presbyterians (as I fhall fhew hereafter) in the conclufion of his Epistle to Evagrius, writeth thus, What Aaron and his Sons and the Levites did in the Temple, this the Bishops, Priests and Deacons claim to themselves in the Church: That we may know that the Apoftolical Traditions were taken from the Old Teftament. And that,

1

the

the fafety of the Church depends on the Dignity of the Chief Priefts, to whom, if a greater and more eminent Power was not given, there would be as many Schifms as Priests.

From the Teftimonies of particular Perfons, I will proceed to the Teftimony of whole Churches. I will begin with the Apoftolical Canons, which (as Dr. Beveridge has learnedly proved in his Annotations on them) were Conftitutions made by diverse Councils held in the fecond and third Centuries. They tell us that a Bishop fhall be ordained by two or three Bi- Can. 1, 20 Shops: And a Presbyter and Deacon by one Bishop.

That a Bishop, Prieft, or Deacon must not put + Can. s. away his Wife under Pretence of Religion. That Can, 6. a Bishop, Prieft or Deacon ought not to involve himfelf in fecular Affairs. That a Prieft or Dea-+ Can. 15. con leaving the Diocefs to which he belongs, and going into another to dwell there without the confent of his Bishop, and being required by his Bishop to return, will not, fhall be Excommunicated. Indeed almost all these Canons which are eighty five in Number have fomething in 'em fhewing Bifhops and Presbyter to be diftin&t Orders. The Council of Eliberis A. D. 305. mentions the three Orders of the Clergy in feveral Canons. *It forbids Bishops, Priefts and Deacons to leave Can. 18. their Churches to exercife Merchandize. It declares, That when any Perfon falls Sick, he + Can. 32, † ought to be received into Communion by the Bishop; but if the Sickness be violent, the Prieft may grant him Communion, and even the Deacon, if the BiShop command him. The Council of Arles A. D. 314. forbids one Bishop alone to ordain ano- Can, 20, 21. ther, and then immediately fubjoins that neither Priests nor Deacons should relinquish the Churches in which they were fixed by Ordination: that is,

the

† Can 16.

the Diocefs in which they were ordained. The general Council of Nice alfo fome few Years after this of Arles, makes a most apparent Diftinction between the Orders of Bishop and Priest, especially where it exprefly Ordains that neither Priests nor Deacons shall be received into another Church without the confent of their BiShop.

The Novatians which returned to the Communion of the Church, in their Recantation and Confeffion, faid thefe Words: We are not ignorant that there is one God, one Chrift, one Holy Ghoft, one Bishop in one Church.

The Council of Laodicea, A. D. 321.Can.41. That no Clergy-man ought to travel without the confent of his Bifhop. And Can. 56. That the Pref byters ought not to go into the Church and fit in their Seats 'till the Bishop come, and to go in with the Bishop.

The Council of Gangra, A. D. 326. If any have private Meetings out of the Church without their Presbyter be with them, let them be Anathematized by the Sentence of the Bishop. And Can. 7. If any will take or give of the Fruits offered to the Church, without leave of the Bishop, let him be Anathema.

The Council of Antioch, A. D. 341. Can. 3. If any Presbyter or Deacon, leaving his own Parish, shall go to another; and refuse to return when his own Bishop fhall fummon him, let him be depofed. And Can. 22. That a Bishop ought not to ordain Presbyters or Deacons in another Bishops Diocefe without his leave.

The fecond great general Council at Conftantinople, A. D. 381. Ranks thofe with Hereticks, who, tho' they profefs the true Faith, yet run into