Bishoprick as governed by the Elders or Presbyters, which certainly he would never have done if they had not prefided together with the Bifhop, and had a fhare of Authority with him.

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The Bleffed Martyr Ignatius, who was contemporary with the Apostles, in his Epiftle to the Trallians, fays, He that is within the Altar is pure: wherefore he obeyeth the BiShop and Presbpters; But he that is without, is he • that doth any thing without the Bishops and Presbytèrs. He that is without the Altar, who does things without the Bishop and Presbyters, is meant of thofe of the People that affembled, or thofe of the Presbyters that celebrated the Eucharist without the Bishop and College of Presbyters or their Appointment; which was called erecting Altar against Altar in the Primitive Times: For fo Ignatius again in the Epistle to the Ephefians fays, Let no Man i mistake, if a Man be not within the Altar, he cometh short of the Bread of God. And there'fore in the end of that Epiftle he adds, Obey the Bishop and Presbyters without diftraction of Mind, breaking one Bread, which is the medicine 6 of Immortality. A plain Cafe: The intent of his Exhortations is to perfwade them to aflemble without Schifm, becaufe, that to affemble and celebrate the Eucharift without or against the Bishops Appointment was then the Mark of a Schifmatick. And that the Presbyters concurred with him in or dering thefe Matters, appears by the Obedience he required to both: And fo ftill in Ignatius the Presbyters are Assistant to the Bifhop in all things. Again fays he, writing to the Trallians, Reverence the Deacons as the Order of Jefus Chrift, who is the Son of the Father;

.

..

.

and

and the Presbyters as the Senate of God, and the Conftitution of the Apoftles; for without these there can beno Church. This Epiftle is concluded in these Words: Farewell in Chrift Jefus, being fubject to the Bishop as to the Commandment of God, likewife to the College of Presbyters.

In the next Age, Tertullian in his Apology (as has been already obferved) tells us, that in the Chriftian Affemblies approved Elders prefide. His naming Elders in the Plural Number is a certain Sign that the Bishop did not prefide alone, but with his College of Presby

ters.

Nothing can be plainer than that the College of Presbyters had its fhare of the Government of the Church in St. Cyprian's Days, who flourifhed not long after Tertullian. The many Letters which he wrote to his own Clergy in the time of his Retreat because of the Perfecutions, as alfo those which he wrote and received from the Clergy of Rome and others, are fufficient Testimonies that the Clergy made a College or Society that was affiftant to the Bishop in all thofe Churches. I will give fome few Inftances.

Cornelius Bishop of Rome writing to St. Cy- Epift. 46. prian concerning fome Confeffors who had been circumvented by a crafty Fellow, and almost drawn off from the Church, and were defirous to be readmitted to Communion, fays, that on this Occafion, He convened his Presbytery: And that Maximus, Urbanus Sidonius, &c. came into the Presbytery. St. Cyprian tells Cornelius + Epift. șș. that he has a flourishing Clergy prefiding with him. His Words are, Florentiffimo illic Clero tecum Prefidenti, which plainly fhew that the Clergy

had

had then a fhare in the Government of the Church as well as in the Ministration of Divine Offices, elfe he would not have said that they prefided with him, but have called them a flourifhing Clergy acting under him. St. Cyprian was himfelf a Bishop, and fpeaks as highly of the Epifcopal Authority as any of the Fathers: However he, notwithstanding, allows the Presbyters their fhare of Ecclefiaftical Power as the Bishops Councellors and Affeffors, who had a Right to give their Vote and Suffrage in Ecclefiaftical Affairs, and whofe Advice the Bifhop ought to take in his Government of the Church.

* The Clergy of Rome alfo during the va cancy of that See by the Death of Fabian, who had been Martyred a little before, writing to the Clergy of Carthage, during the Retreat St. Cyprian had made in the time of Perfecution, call themselves Prefidents or Prelates, (Præpofiti) and fay, that it is their Duty instead of the Paftor to take care of the Church, exhor. ting them alfo to take care of the Flock of Jefus Chrift in the absence of their Pastor.

St. Cyprian alfo himself, in an Epistle to his Clergy, wherein he complains of and reproves fome of their irregular Proceedings in restoring the Lapfed without his Consent and Approbation, not confidering, fays he, that they have a Bishop prefiding over them, yet owns in the fame place, that as fuch matters ought not to have been done by the Clergy alone without the Bishop, fo neither by the Bishop without the Clergy, but that they should have been reconciled by Impofition of Hands from the Bishop and Clergy together.

* In

+ Epist.24:

In another Epiftle alfo upon the fame Oc- Epift. 11. cafion, having reproved the Offenders for not having the Fear of God and the Honor of their BiShop before their Eyes, he tells them that Penance ought to have been impofed by the BiShop and Clergy. And in the next Letter he fays, who can be restored to Communion, but by Impofition of the Hands of the Bishop and Clergy? Nay, when in his Retreat he ordained but a Reader and Subdeacon without his Clergy, he thought convenient to make an Excufe to them for it, and to let them know that they were fuch Perfons as before the common Confent had been placed next to the Clergy. Therefore, fays he, I have done no new thing in your Abfence, but what long ago by the common Counsel of all of us was begun, I have now, urged thereto by Neceffity, compleated and perfected.

* In his Epistle to Lucius he tells them, that Epift s& the Presbyters are joined with the Bishop in the Honor of the Priesthood; his Words are, cum Epifcopo Presbyteri Sacerdotali Honore conjuncti. Thefe and many other Passages in St. Cyprian's Epiftles are Teftimonies, that altho' that Holy Bishop and Martyr looked upon himself as the chief Ecclefiaftical Governor of the Church of Carthage, yet that he allowed the Presbyters to be his Affeffors, and to have a fhare with him in the Care and Government of the Flock committed to their Charge.

Syricius, who was Bishop of Rome about the

Year 385, writing to the Church of Millan + Inter Epift. Sr concerning Jovinian and his Followers, tells Ambros. Épist. 6. them, That these Perfons had been accused by the Faithful Chriftians, that they might be detected by the Fudgment of the Priests, (Sacredotali Judicio detecti) and for this Cause he had held a Presbytery,

(Facto

Vol. I. p. 19.

(Facto igitur Presbyterio) in which a Sentence paffed against them with the common confent of all, both Presbyters and Deacons, and the whole Clergy.

*

In the Apoftolical Conftitutions (which tho' Cave Hift Lit. a Spurious piece, yet is allowed to contain the Rules of the ancient Church Discipline in the fourth Century and before) † we are told, That the Presbyters are the Bishops Counsellors, and the Crown of the Church: and that they are the Senate and Seffions (Senatus & Confeffus) of

+ Lib 2. cap. 32.

cap. 13.

the Church.

There remains alfo to this Day the memory of feveral Judicial Sentences which have been (4) Eufeb. Lib 5. passed by the Bishop and his Clergy: (a) So when Marcion had been caft out of the Church by his own Father and Bishop, and would have been received at Rome; He was rejected by the Presbyters of that Church, and this was as early as in the fecond Century, about the (b) Epiph. Heref. Year 140. (b) When Noetus vented his Heretical Doctrines in Afia, the Presbytery of the Church, whereof he was a Member as Epiphanius tells us, cited him to give them an Account of his Faith, and condemned both him and his Followers about the Year 245. So alfo Jovinian (as has been obferved) was condemned by Syricius and the Presbytery of Rome, An. 385.

57. P. 479.

So long as all the Clergy lived in common with their Bishop, no doubt but they all (that is all the Presbyters) made up one College or Presbytery: But when many of the Presbyters were taken off from the Cathedral Church and affixed to particular Parochial Cures; then fuch as were fo taken off, ceafed to be of the College or standing Presbytery, which the Bi

shop,