Schifin, and gather Congregations apart from, and in oppofition to our Canonical Bifhops.

In the Council of Alexandria, A. D. 324. (as Socrates tells us in the first Book of his Hiftory) Colluthus a Prieft of that Church was condemned for having pretended to Ordain one Ifchryas, and the Ordination was declared to be null and void. And Socrates further adds, that Ifchryas privately adventured upon an Action worthy of many Deaths, who having never been ordained a Prieft, did those things that belong to the Funtions of a Prieft. Yet if Ordination by Presbyters had been valid in thofe early Days, Ifchryas had been as good a Prieft as any. I might foon: fill a large Volume with Citations of this Nature out of Fathers and Councils within the four firft Centuries, for we have scarce any Writings of Antiquity which do not diftinguifh these two Orders.

Lucif.

The only Father of the Church our Adverfaries pretend to be of their fide is St. Jerome: and he himself, tho' in the Heat of his Paf- Ep. 85." fion against the Roman Deacons, he exalts the Priesthood to almoft an Equality with Epifcopacy, yet in the Height of his Anger allows the Bishop a Power of Ordination, which he acknowledges the Priests had not. He alfo Dial. adverf. allows that the Bishop has the only Right of adminiftring Confirmation. Yet it must be confeffed, that St. Jerome does fay, olim idem Dift. 95. c. s. erat Presbyter qui & Epifcopus, that anci- Hierom. ad C p ently Bishop and Presbyter were the fame, but herein he plainly Oppofes all Antiquity and the Tradition of particular Churches concerning their Bishops, and is perfectly fingular in his Opinion: And it is manifeft by the Allegations he brings in defence of his Judg

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ment in this Point, that it was grounded chiefly on thofe Places of Scripture where Bishops are called Presbyters or Presbyters Bishops, and fo from Community of Name would argue Community of Order: But I hope this Argument has been fufficiently answered already. And even St. Jerome himself, allows the Diftinction to have been made by the Apostles themselves for the Prevention of Schifms, when each one faid I am of Paul, and I of ApolLos, and I of Cephas. If any further Anfwer be defired to St. Jerom's Authority I must refer • P. 432, & 476. to * Dr. Maurice's Book called, A Vindication of the Primitive Church. And yet if no other Reply could be given to it than only to fay St. Jerome was mistaken, I think it would be fufficient: for I know not why his Authority fhould weigh more with us than the Scriptures and Councils and all the Fathers befides. But Men will take hold of any thing to maintain an Opinion they are fond of. Yet after all, St. Jerome himself (the great pretended Patron of Presbytery) denies not Bishops to be of Apoftolical, and confequently of Divine Institution, and always paid to Bishops that Obedience and Respect which was due from him to them as he was a Presbyter. And for this Reafon I queftion not, none of his Contemporaries or others went about formally to confute him, because, tho' he was fomewhat particular in his Opinion, yet it had no Influence on his or any other Bodies Practice to make them caft off due Subjection to their Bishops.

For Modern Teftimonies, fome of which I cannot forbear to produce, I fhall begin with part of a Speech of a Gentleman who fufficiently declared himself a profeffed Enemy to the eftablished

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established Church of England, fince as he Sir E. D. colhimself tells us, he brought into the House of ches p. 63. Commons that which was commonly called the Root and Branch-Bill, which was entituled An Ait for the utter abolishing and taking away of all Archbishops, Bishops, their Chancellors and Commiffaries, Deans, Deans and Chapters, Archdeacons, Prebendaries, Canons, and all their under Officers. His Words are thefe; " They who deny + Ibid. p. 127. "that ever any fuch Bishops [That is, Bishops "prefiding over Presbyters] were in the beft "and pureft times; I intreat fome one of "'em (if any fuch be here) to stand up and "fhew me, teach me how I may prove that cc ever there was an Alexander of Macedon or Сс a Julius Cafar or a William the Conqueror in "the World. For, Sir, to me as plain it is, "that Bishops Prefident have been the conftant, te permanent, and perpetual Governors of "the Church of God in all Ages. And this "being matter of Fact, I do hope that Histo"rical Proof will be fufficient adequate Proof "in that which in its Fact is Matter of Hifto(c ry. But Proofs herein are fo manifold and

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clear, that I borrow the free and true Af"fertion of a Worthy and Learned * Gen-Sir Tho.Afton's Review of Epif "tleman. It may be thought want of Will, ra- copacy, p.1. "ther than want of Light, which makes Men deny "the Antiquity of Bishops in the primitive Times. "Therefore anfwer not me, but answer Igna"tius, answer Clemens, Tertullian, Irenaus, nay "anfwer the whole indifputed Concurrence. " of the Afian, the European and the Affrican "Churches, All Ages, All Places, All Per"fons: Anfwer I fay all thefe, or do as I do, "fubmit to the fufficient Evidence of a "Truth. And furely nothing but a moft demonftrative

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monstrative Truth could have extorted fuch a Speech from a declared Enemy to all the Bifhops in England, and a profeffed Foe to the Hierarchy. But this is not all, fome Pages after in the fame Speech he fays: "Parity "of Degrees in Church Government hath no "Foundation in Holy Scripture, and is as "abfonous to Reafon as parity in a State or "Family. Indeed it is a Fancy, a Dream, a "meer non Entity, it neither hath nor ever "had a Being. If it be any thing, it is ab"folute Anarchifme, and that is nothing, "for Privation of Government is not a Government. And then again he fhews that a Bishops Office was perpetual,not Temporary, in thefe Words. But Sir, I have heard "fome among us fay, if then we must have a "Bishop, let him be like a Pylot, only for a "Voyage: Let him be like your felf a Spea"ker only for a Parliament. But I do affirm "ab initio non fuit fic; your Bishop of old was "not occafional, pro re nata and immediately "degraded, nothing fo: But continued a "fixed, conftant, perpetual Moderator and "Prefident for Life, unless outed for his "own Demerits.

Calvin himself, the Founder of the Presbyterian Government acknowledges, † That the Pref byters in every City chofe one to whom they specially gave the Title of Bishop; left Diffentions (as is ufual) Should Spring from Equality. And a little after, fpeaking of the Inftitution of Archbishops. and Patriarch, he approves of this Regiment alfo, and fays exprefly, That these old Bishops did not frame any other kind of Government in the Church, than that which the Lord hath prefcribed in his Word. If it be asked why Calvin gave

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fuch high Teftimonies to Epifcopacy, and yet fettled the Presbyterian Government in his Church, it may be answered, that as the State of Geneva then was, it was impossible to do otherwife; As the Judicious Hooker fhews in his Preface to his Ecclefiaftical Polity, to which I refer thofe that require further Satisfaction. So that the first Presbyterian Government was not founded on Choice but Neceffity, because, at the time of its Inftitution, no Reformed Bishop could be had at Geneva, or any conveniently be procured to Ordain one. And therefore is juftifiable no longer than whilft there is fuch Neceffity.

Bucer in his Book de Regno Chrifti, has thefe Words. Now we fee by the perpetual Obfervation of the Churches, even from the Apoftles themselves, that it hath pleafed the Holy Ghoft, that among the Minifters to whom the Government of the Church efpecially is committed, one should have the chief Care both of the Churches and of the whole Miniftry, and that he should go before all other in that Care and Diligence. For the which cause the name of Bishop is peculiarly given to fuch chief Governor of Churches, &c.

Chillingworth, the great Champion of the Proteftant Religion against the Papists, has written alfo a fhort Treatife called the Apoftolical Inftitution of Epifcopacy demonftrated. The Substance of which I have thought proper to tranfcribe in this Place.

If we abftract from Epifcopal Government all Accidentals, and confider only what is Effential and Neceffary to it; we fhall find in it no more but this: An Appointment of one Man of Eminent Sanctity and Sufficiency to have the care of all the Churches within a certain Precinct or Diocess; and furnishing

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