But all this must be nothing; let Bishops be never fo facredly ordain'd for their particucular Function, and govern every Order of Men in their Churches with an Apoftolical Authority and Jurifdiction, as peculiar to them alone, as it was to the Apostles themselves; their Order is no whit advanc'd by it, (tho' fuch fort of Qualifications diftinguish Orders of Men in every Society befides) fo long as the Presbyters alfo had a Right and Power to discharge * all Clerical Offices (there the Crifis lies) as fully to all Intents and Purposes, as any Bifhop in the World.

I'll join Iffue with our learned Author in this Enquiry alfo ; and doubt not, but we shall meet with great Mistakes here: Tho' we shall find an Equality of Soveraignty in the Government of the Church, as nicely contended for all along, as that of Clerical Offices are, notwithstanding he difavow'd fuch an equalSovereignty as that,at the firft ftating of his Presbyter's Cafe. This is evident (I think) in the first Instance of his Presbyter's Authority; which is this, They prefided (fays he) in Church Confiftories, and compos'd the Executive Part of the Ecclefiaftical Power; that is, they were joint Commiffioners in the Judicial Power there, and fo far, upon the Level with the Bishop himself, in judging Caufes that came before them, elfe they might be as Juftices of the Peace to Judges in Civil Courts, if they had not a Judicial Power as well as he; or as Privy Counsellors to a King, which would doubtless lower their Order below their Bishops, and not

come

See Enq. Pag. 57.

come up to his Cafe: But by the Choice of his Quotation for it, we may be fure he meant no lefs; for approv'd Elders prefided (fays Tertullian) which our learned Author here applies to his Presbyters fitting in their peculiar Confiftory; and to fhew how great Streís is laid upon this fhort Quotation, it is offer'd us in the next Leaf again; to help a weak Authority out, which otherwise could not prove what our Author was zealously contending for there; namely, that Bishops and Presbyters had an equal Power in them to Baptize, Confirm, and Ordain.

These are pretty material Points (you'll fay) to depend so much (as really they do here) upon this fhort difputed Sentence at the beft, and that with this Suppofition in the Cafe, that both this and the other Parallel Quotation in the next Leaf, were fpoken of the Difcipline exerted in one particular Church or Parish, in which there was but one Bishop; and if only he had prefided, then there could not have been Elders in the Plural Number. Thus he states the Argument himself.

The Reader will excufe me, if I am a little more Particular than ordinary in examining thefe Authorities; the Cafe is of Moment, tho the Words are few; and to lay the Suppofition (here infifted upon) in a clear Light, I shall be oblig'd to confider thefe three Things: 1ft, The Occafion of the Words: 2dly, The plain Senfe and Meaning of them: And 3dly, Compare the Parallel Places, to fhew how they illuftrate one another.

* Probati præfident feniores. Tertul. Apol. c. 39. + Eng. p. 61.

ift.

ift, The Occafion of Tertullian's Words was this the Chriftians were under a general Perfecution in the Roman Empire. Tertullian dedicating an Apology for them, to the feveral

Governors of the Empire, vindicates them as they lay jointly charged, under the general Name of a Factious Sect in the State. Accordingly, at the very Entrance of that Part of his Apology, wherein he reprefents the innocent Manner, both of the Christian Discipline and Worship; (and whereof the Quotation, now in queftion, is a Part) he prefaces it in thefe Words: Now (fays he) I'll fhew you plainly what this Chriftian Faction is taken up about, or how they are employ'd; furely this Chriftian Faction, which is not only a Noun of Multitude, but in the Senfe which the Roman Governors understood it, comprehended the whole Body of Chriftians in it, must be meant in the fame Senfe by the Sagacious Apologist too, who professedly undertook to vindicate them All; and not for any fingle Congregation of them in fome private Quarter of the Empire; elfe the Roman Governors (to whom he addreffes in all Parts) had but flender Motives offer'd them to cease their Perfecution in every Province; and the good Apologift had but little Regard to the Commont Caufe of all his Brethren.

N

But

Operata fe&tæ hujus infeftatio odii erga nomen

Chriftianorum. Apol. p. 1.

ord.

Vobis, Romani Imperii Antiftites.

Apol. in Ex

Eadem jam nunc ego ipfe negotia Chriftianæ facti onis. Cap. 39.

But, Secondly, To come to the plain Senfe and Meaning of the Words themselves, approv'd Elders prefide: And here I am contented, the learned Enquirer himself should be his own Interpreter and Commentator for me; for at the 19th Page of this Enquiry, he was zealously proving from the Teftimony of Antiquity, that a Bishop could have but one Communion Table in his Diocefe; and amongst other Authorities, infifted earnestly upon thefe Words of * Tertullian, That Chriftians receiv'd the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper from the Hands of the Bishop alone; fo he tranflates the Paffage, which, as you may fee in the Margin here, is from the Hand of thofe who prefide: Now if those who prefide in Tertullian's Language, muft needs be no other than the Supreme Bishops themselves; (without which Conftruction, all the Argument in it, which the Enquirer makes for a Congregational Diocese, is utterly loft there) Then his Approv'd Prefiding Elders, in the Quotation now before us, must neceffarily be spoken also of the Bishops or Heads of feveral Churches or Congregations within the Roman Empire, because a single one could have but one fuch Elder belonging to it, in the declar'd Opinion of the learned Enquirer himself; and then what will become of the two important Points built upon this Suppofition alone, that Tertullian spake but of one Congregation? I fhall trust to this Evidence for the plain Meaning of the Words, and proceed,

Thirdly,

Nec de aliorum manu, quam de præfidentium fumimus. Tert. de Cor. Mil. c. 3. p. 121. Edit. 2. Rigat.

Thirdly, To confider that Parallel Place of another Primitive Father, which, in the Opinion of our judicious Author himself, and (as he tells us) of most learned Men with him, is fo plainly of the fame Import and Signification with this, that they mutually explain one another. The Paffage is in a noted Epistle of Firmilian to S. Cyprian; and, in the Enquirer's own Translation, is render'd thus: † All Power and Grace is conftituted in the Church where Seniors prefide, who have the Power of Baptizing, Confirming, and Ordaining. Now I readily agree, that this Paffage, and the former in Tertullian, do help to explain one another; and chiefly in thefe following Particulars, upon which the present Application of them does mainly depend.

Firft, That whereas there was fome Scruple rais'd from the Words of Tertullian, whether he was speaking of the Collective Body of Chriftians, or no; there is no room for any fuch Question to be made here, fince the immediate Occafion of Firmilian's Words was to prove this, that out of the Catholick Church there was no Grace or Power given to ratify any one Minifterial Act whatfoever. Every one knows, who ever read that Epistle, 'twas the Invalidity of Heretical Baptifm which he was there contending for, against the contrary Decree of Stephen, Bishop of Rome, about it; and that Controversy, I prefume all Men will allow, was between

* Eng. p. 61.

N 2

+ Quando omnis poteftas & gratia in Ecclefià conftituta fit, ubi præfident majores natu, qui & baptizandi, & manum imponendi, & ordinandi poffident poteftatem. Apud Cypr. Ep. 75. § 6. Edit. Oxon.