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As 16. 4.

fle, it is very plain from the Text that only the Apostles and Elders debated the Point, and St. James the Prefident of the Council gave the Conclufive or Determining Vote before any Notice is taken of the Brethren: Besides, they are afterwards exprefly called the Decrees that mere ordained of the Apostles and Elders that were at Jerufalem. So that I do not fee that this Text proves any thing more than I have produced it for: And I conceive it evidently proves that the Elders or fecond. Order of the Clergy, as well as the Apoftles or highest Order did debate and vote in this Synod, which was the Pattern for the fucceeding Synods of the Church. I fay this was the Pattern or Precedent for the fucceeding Synods of the Church to imitate: For had not this been one great Defign of this Affembly, I can fee but little Occafion for their meeting together. Any one of the Apostles, as I have obferved before could have determined the matter Authoritatively, they being all infpired with an infallible Spirit to direct them in Doctrinal Points: Therefore by their coming together and taking the Elders into the Council with them to confider of the Matter, they evidently fhewed that one main end of their fo-doing, was to direct their Succeffors what method they should take for the Determination of Controverfies. They had, no doubt, any one of them an Authority to have obliged the Elders as well as the Brethren to fubmit to their Judgment, yet they would not determine the Matter 'till they had the confent of the Elders to it, and had drawn them to that confent by fairly difputing the Cafe with them, in the Prefence of the Brethren, that they also might be fully fatisfi

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ed of the reasonableness of the Judgment. given. And this was for our Example that our Bishops and Clergy might Affemble and determine Matters in like manner, and give the People alfo all reasonable Satisfaction to induce them to acquiefce in their Decisions.

Christ's Church,

The fame Objection I have been laft anfwering was made to Bishop Bilfon, and he makes a Reply much to the fame purpose, which I fhall here tranfcribe, to fatisfie that this is not my. Private Opinion or Argument, but is of the fame kind with what was delivered an hundred Years ago, by one of the greatest Defenders of our Church and its Epifcopacy,. and who would not give a greater Authority to Presbyters than he was really convinced belonged to them by Apoftolical Institution. He recites the Objection, thus: * In the Apostles Perpet. Go• Council were not only the Presbyters, but all the vernment of Brethren of the Church of Jerufalem, and the p. 389. Letters of Refolution were written in all their Names: And now you difdain that any Lay-man fhould be prefent at your Provincial Synods and Councils, which you fee the Apostles did not refufe.] To which this is his Answer; To be "prefent at Synods is one thing; to deliberate and determine in Synod is another thing. If you think that either Presbyters or Brethren were admitted to the Apostles Council to help and aid the Apoftles in their debating or deciding the Matters there questioned, you be much deceived. The Apoftles fingled, were fufficient to decide a greater Doubt than that was; much more then, the whole Affembly of Apostles able to fearch out the Truth thereof without their Affitance. The Reafon why all the Church

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Eph. 2. 12, 19.

† Acts 15. 6.

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were admitted to be prefent, and to join with one accord in fending thofe Letters, was, because not only the Gainfayers, but the whole Church were to be refolved in a Cafe that touched them all. Otherwise as • well the People as the Teachers of the Jews would ftill have abhorred the Gentiles, tho' Believers, as profane Perfons, until they had been Circumcifed, which was the High way to evacuate the Cross of Chrift, and to frustrate his Grace. And therefore not for • Deliberation, or for Determination, but for the Satisfaction of Contradictors, and Inftruction of the reft was the whole Church Affembled, and upon the full hearing and concluding of the Question by the Apostles, the reft joining with them acknowledged by their Letters and Meffengers that it pleased the Holy Ghoft, the Gentiles fhould not be • troubled with Circumcifion, nor the Obfer•vation of Mofes's Law; but that the Partition-wall betwixt them was broken down by the Blood of Chrift, and they which were * Aliens from the Common-wealth of Ifrael, and Strangers from the Covenant of Promise, were now Fellow-Citizens with the Saints, and of the Houshold of Faith, without the Legal Obfervances of Mofes's Law. St. Luke himself • Witnesseth that to difcufs the Matter, the Apoftles and Elders affembled together, and after great Difputation on either fide, Peter and 6 James concluded the Caufe, whereto the reft confented. And I make no doubt but Presbyters fate with the Apostles in Synod to confult of this Caufe. Thus this great Defender of our Church makes a plain diftinction between the part which the Elders had in the Synod,

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Synod, and that which the Brethren had there; and fhews that the diftinction is plain from the very Words of St. Luke, that tho' the Brethren are named in the Infcription of the Synodical Epistle as well as the Presbyters, yet that the Brethren were prefent in the Council only to hear and be fatisfied, but the Presbyters had free liberty to difcufs the Matter with the Apoftles, and they were confulted in the Cafe, and their Confent was given to the final Decifion. And yet that the Apostles needed not this Affistance of the Presbyters, because any one of them alone could finally have determined a greater Matter than this. And that Perpet. Gothe Apostles taught the Church of Chrift to follow Chrift's Church, this courfe by their Example. So that I have ad- p. 373. vanced nothing in my Anfwer to this Objection but what is plainly evident from the Words of the Scripture, and which was urged against the New Difciplinarians an Hundred Years ago and more by one of the moft eminent Prelates of this Church, who was far from allowing to Presbyters a greater share than they ought to have in the Government of the Church.

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And now I trust I have fully answered the Objections made to the Right of the Presbyters in the Apoftolical Synod, and have proved that the Elders there affembled to difcufs the cafe of Circumcifion with the Apofties, and to confent to the Determination of that Question were of the fecond Order of the Clergy, of that which to this Day we call the Order of Priefts or Presbyters: That they also fate there not only to hear the matter confidered and debated, and finally determined by the Apofles for their better Satisfaction as the Brethren

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did, but also were admitted to Confider, Debate and Determine the Matter with the Apoftlen which I conceive to be the fame Right, and no other than that which the Presbyters of our Church have long enjoyed in our own Synods or Convocations, and which it is to be hoped will not be denied them, how foever it be now by fome Perfons thought a Novelty, and a Right which Presbyters never enjoyed before, and which ours were let into by Degrees purely on the account of giving their Money and upon no other Confideration. For my part I will not deny but that our Presbyters might by this means retrieve that Right which was before in fome meafure loft or antiquated, yet I conceive it to be plain that they had it from the Beginning, even in the Apostles Days: And that they, altho' divinely inspired, and therefore capable of determining any Controverfie fingle, would not decide this about Circumcifion, wherein the Church in general was concerned, not only without confulting one another, but without confulting their Presbyters alfo, and admitting them to debate the Matter with them, and taking their Confent to the Decifion.

The Objections which may be made to what I have urged from later Synods are next to be confidered. It is a common Objection or Evafion made by the Popish Writers in this Cafe, That Presbyters in larger Councils acted and subfcribed in the names of thofe abfent Bishops to whom they belonged, and by whom they were deputed to fit in Council and to vote in their ftead. And it must be confeffed that Presbyters have often fo fubfcribed, but then they have either mentioned their fubfcribing as the legates of their Bifhops, or at leaft have fubfcribed among the Bishops

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