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(c) Supr. Ch 6.

(d) Supr. Ch. 1.

ment of the Church as well as the Bishop, fince they are ordained to take the care and charge of the Flock under him, I conceive that this Text which feems to require at least two or three to be gathered together for matters of Judicature, does plainly Authorize the Bishop and his College of Presbyters to meet and determine matters within their Jurifdiction; and I have already (c) fhewed that the practice of the Apoftles and of the primitive Church was agreeable thereto. And I fhall now endeavour to fhew that it alfo Authorifes larger Synods confifting of diverse Bishops and Presbyters. For fince the Church of Chrift is but one in all parts of the World, (d) as I have alfo proved, it follows that tho' the Paftors of particular Churches be affixed to their Places and Charges, yet they ought alfo to have a care and concern for the whole Body, and all the Members of it: Wherefore when need requires, or juft occafion is offered, it behoves them to employ their Travel abroad, as well as to bestow their pains at home to direct and pacify the Houfhold of Faith. Therefore if any matter fhall happen wherein more than a fingle Bishop and his Clergy are concerned, it behoves all thofe who are concerned therein to confult together on fuch occafion, and our Saviours Precept fufficiently Authorifes them to affemble for this purpose. Because no Man can be required to apply to the Church, which our Saviour plainly commands, unless the Church have a Power to meet, to hear and determine fuch matters as appertain to it. And if fingle Bishops with their Clergy have Authority from Chrift to govern a fingle Church or Diocese, to de

termine

termine differences therein, and make Rules for the Government of it, a number of Bifhops with their Clergy may certainly have the fame Right when met together over all the Churches under their feveral Charges: For what Commiffion they have from Chrift

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• fevered and fingle (e) (fays our learned Bishop (e) Perpet Gov. C Bilfon) the fame they muft needs retain af- of Chrifts Ch. • fembled and joyned throughout their Cir- Chap. 16. cuits. Yea the Lord fo much tendreth the 'Fatherly Care and Brotherly Concord of the • Paftors of his Church that he has promised to be prefent in the midst of their Aflemblies, and with his Spirit to direct them, fo they ' come together not to accomplish their own Lufts or Defires, but to Sanctify his name by detecting Errors, refifting Wolves, main'taining Truth, curing the Sores and Mala'dies that Pester and Poyfon the Members of ' it.

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It is plain that the Apoftles were of this Opinion, fince they not only fingly affembled their Clergy to confult and determine fuch matters as related to their particular Jurifdictions or Diocefes, as I have fhewed in the Chapter about the College of Presbyters, but alfo when a Cafe happened wherein the whole Church was concerned, they judged that they had Authority to meet altogether (ƒ) both (ƒ) A&. 15. 6.. Apoftles and Elders to confider of this matter. And not doubting but that our Saviour according to his promise was present in the midst of them by the Operation of his Holy and Divine Spirit (with whom he is one as well as with the Father) they wrote thus in their Canonical Epiftle, (g) It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us. For if the Apostle spoke

the

(g) A&t. 15;

28.

(b) Luke 10. 16.

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the Truth when he faid the Holy Ghost made you Overfeers to feed the Church; and if our Saviour could not be deceived when he faid, (b) He that heareth you heareth me, and he that defpifeth you defpifeth me, this niuft be verified as well of Paftors affembled as fingled. Yea, Paftors gathered together in Chrift's name are rather affùred of Chrift's Direction and • Affiftance than when they be fevered, unless • there be any that think God infpires one particular Perfon with Righteousness, and forfakes a number of Priests affembled in Synod: Which (as Bishop Bilfon further obferves) the Council of Africa in their Epiftle to Pope Celeftine judged to be very abfurd and repugnant to Chrift's promife, fo long as they meet together in his name, and not to deface the Truth or opprefs their Brethren.

The Matter which the Apoftles met upon and confulted about might without Dispute have been determined by any one of them, fince they were every one guided by an infal lible Spirit in the Doctrines which they taught and delivered to the Church: So that indeed one chief Cause of their affembling together to determine the point Synodically feems to have been intended for an example to their Succeflors, to instruct them how they ought to proceed in putting an end to Controverfies, when the Gift of immediate Divine Inspiration fhould be no longer granted. And for this Reafon it is probable that we have no other Inftance of an Apoftolical Synod or an Affembly of diverfe Bishops and their Presbyters in Holy Scripture, after the Gentiles were taken into the Church, and the Apostles had difperfed themselves to feveral parts of the World.

How

However it is very plain that this Affembly judged that they had a Divine Right to meet in this manner, and that our Saviour according to his promife was prefent with them by his Spirit: And confequently unless our Saviour s prefence with his Church was confined to the Apoftolical Age, he is ftill present in those Affemblies of Bishops and Presbyters who meet together to fettle the Peace of his Church as thefe did. And I hope no body can be fo irrational as to conceive our Saviour's prefence fo confined, unless they can fuppofe that the Head fhould ceafe to influence the Body.

This method of diverfe Bishops and their Clergy affembling together in Synod being thus Authorised by Divine Allowance with a Gracious Promife annexed to it, and by Apoftolical Practice, was immediately followed by the primitive Church. It is true, we cannot give many particular Inftances of this practice in the fecond Century, that is in the Age immediately following the Apoftles, by reafon there are fo few Records of that time which have been tranfmitted to us. However from: the Fragments which Eufebius has preferved we may be fatisfied that there were Synods held then as well as before and afterwards. There was an Herefy started in that Age by Montanus in the Province of Phrygia, who joyned with two Pfeudo-Propheteffes called Prifca and Maximilla, thefe pretended that the promife of our Lord concerning the Miffion of the Holy Ghoft was accomplished in them rather than in the Apoftles, who, as they pretended, knew but in part, and Prophefied in part, but that Montanus and his Propheteffes were perfectly filled with the Holy Spirit: Whereupon

they

(i) Eccles Hift. Lib. s. cap. 16.

they taught several strange Doctrines contrary to the Scriptures. Now (i) Eufebius tells us that when the Faithful which were in Afia ⚫ often and in many places of Asia assembled together for that Caufe, and had examined that Doctrine, and judged it impious and profane; the Herefy being condemned they were Expelled from the Communion of the • Church and of the Faithful. And after this, before the end of that Century we meet with feveral Synods convened about the business of Eafter, (wherein the Churches of Afia differed from all other Churches as to the time when it (4) Ibid. Cap. 23. ought to be kept) (k) as the Council of Ephefus under Polycrates Bishop of that Place, with the other Bishops of the Proconfular Asia, A. D. 196. And the Council of Lyons in France under St. Irenaus, and of Rome under Victor, of Pontus under Palma, and of Corinth under Bacchyllus all held in the fame year, and on the fame occafion.

& 24.

(7) Hift. Lit. Vol. 2. p. 42.

75.

In the third Century we can give a fuller Account of Synods, having more Records of the Discipline of the Church in that Age than in that which preceded it. In the year 215, according to the common Opinion of Chronologers (But Dr. (1) Cave thinks it to have been (m) Cypr. Epift. about twenty years fooner) (m) a Synod was held at Carthage under Agrippinus Bishop of that Church, confifting of the Bishops of Africa and Numida concerning the Rebaptizing of Hereticks, to which his Succeffor St. Cyprian Appeals when that Cafe was brought again into Contest betwixt him and Stephen Bishop of (n) Epift. 43, 45, Rome. And we find from (2) St. Cyprian's 55. 59.64.67. Epiftles and Works that he himself held Seven Provincial Synods in about the space of fix

72. & p. 229.

years,

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