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amongst them (or near thofe early Ages he speaks of) ever did; and for that reason, I fhall oblige the Reader with the whole Scheme of it, in his own Words.

Whosoever defir'd to be admitted (fays || he) into this Sacred Office, he first propos'd himself to the Presbytery of the Parish where he dwelt and was to be ordain'd; defiring their Confent to his defign'd Intention; praying them to conferr upon him thofe holy Orders which he crav'd. Now we must fuppose (fays he) this Petition to the whole Presbytery, because a Bishop alone could not give thofe Holy Orders; as is moft evident from Cyprian, who affures us, that all Clerical Ordinations were perform'd by the Common Council of the whole Presbytery. † Upon this Application, the Presbytery debated their Peti tion in their Common Council, and proceeded to examine, whether he had thofe Qualifications and Endowments which were requifite for that facred Office, (viz. these four) His Age, his Condition in the World, his Converfation, and his Understanding. § If they approv❜d all, they declar'd him capa ble of the Function. Then his Name must be propounded to the People, that, if Worthy, he might have their Teftimony and Atteftation; if Unworthy, he might be debarr'd and excluded from Orders: If they approv'd his Fitness for the Office, then follow'd Ordination, by Impofition of Hands, ufually

Eng. p. 83, 84.

+ Communi confilio omnium noftrum. Cyp. Fp. 24 alias 29. Edit. Oxon.

* Eng. Ibid.

Eng. p. 95, 96.

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ufually of the Bishop and Presbyters of the Parish, according to 1 Tim. iv. 14.

Here's a formal Abstract (one would verily think) of fome Primitive Ordinal or another; tho' not a Syllable quoted from any one Record, fo publick, proper, and neceffary in the Cafe; here's a Candidate for Holy Orders, made an humble Supplicant to a whole Parochial (or Diocefan) Presbytery for them, and not a Text of Scripture to direct, or one fingle Canon (fo much as of a Provincial Synod) to require it of them : And lastly, here's a Catholick Practice set forth to us, upon a bare Suppofition, (for the learned Author himself fays no more) that three or four Words in a particular Bishop's Writings, relating purely to his own peculiar Practice, (as we fhall fee by and by) must evidently imply fo much.

This is a fingular Method, I must needs fay, of proving the general Practice of the Chriftian Church; and to fay the most we can of it, amounts only to this, that if the excellent S. Gyprian did upon any Confideration whatsoever generally confult his Presbytery (and we may say his People too) whenfoever he ordain'd in his Church; then he, and all other Chriftian Bifhops befides, were fo far oblig'd, by the Conftitution of the Catholick Church in his Time, to do so, that none of them could ordain a single Presbyter without them: For upon that holy Father's Account of himself alone (and that in much larger Terms in the Tranflation, than we find it in his own Text) this formal Scheme of Primitive Ordinations is drawn. Let the Reader confult the Whole, and he'll find it fo; tho' whatR

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ever less material Quotation intervenes, I fhall both mention and weigh it too. In the mean time, to prove the Tranflation of the present Quotation to be far wider than the Text itself, (before we go any farther) we need only fet one against the other.

The Enquiry makes S. Cyprian fay, that all Clerical Ordinations were perform'd by the Common Council of the whole Presbytery, implying by his general Terms, (and the Application of them here) that he and all other Bifhops practis'd fo. Whereas the Words, All Clerical Ordinations, are neither nam'd, nor fo much as imply'd, in that Epiftle, from whence this Quotation is taken. The whole Cafe there was this: * S. Cyprian had formerly defign'd to ordain a certain Letar and Sub-deacon, by the common Advice and Counfel of his Presbyters and Deacons ; [therefore he affures us (fays our learned Enquirer) that all Clerical Ordinations were perform'd by the Common Council of the whole Presbytery, for from this very Place the Quotation is taken.] † But having Occafion, as the holy Bishop farther tells them, to make use of fuch Clerical Officers in the time of his Abfence from them, he lets them know, that he had ordain'd them there by himself alone, (which, by the way, is Proof enough that the Orders were complete, and valid to all Intents and Purposes, without them.) 'Tis true, he plainly

Quod jampridem communi confilio omnium noftrum coeperat, &c. oportuit me per clericos fcribere. Feciffe me fciatis lectorem Saturum & hypodiaconum Optatum. Ep. 29. Edit. Oxon.

plainly wishes (as his Manner was) rather to have had them in Council with him, and excufes himself for doing it alone; and why? * Because he had folemnly purpos'd with himself (as he tells them in another Epiftle) from the time of his firft Promotion to the See, that he would do nothing of his own private Opinion, without confulting them, or without the Confent of his People. The only needful Enquiry here is this:

Was this Refolution of S. Cyprian grounded upon any Law of God, or the Church, by which he was obliged and bound to do fo? Or was it by the meer free Motion of his own Discretion and Goodness, that he determin'd fo with himfelf? The former would imply Catholick PraЯtice and Duty in the Cafe, if it had been prov'd; the latter will amount to no more, than a Perfonal Vertue and Prudence in the peculiar Circumftances of that meek and Holy Martyr ; worthy of all Imitation indeed, where Times and Perfons suited fo properly with it, as this did then. But, otherwife, obliging unto none.

That no Constitution, Law, or Canon whatsoever, obliged S. Cyprian to it; thefe following Particulars muft incline us to believe.

Firft, That the whole College of Presbyters and Deacons in the Church of Rome, who were cotemporary with the Holy Martyr himself, and continually correfponding with him, give a quite contrary Account of it. For in the Pre

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A primordio epifcopatus mei ftatuerim nihil fine confilio veftro, & fine plebis confenfu meà privatim fententià gerere. Cyp. Ep. 14. § ult, Edit. Oxon.

face of an Epistle to him, they reprefent his Practice thus: † Altho' a good Confcience (fay they) Supported by the Vigor of the Difcipline of the Gospel, and made a true Witness of itfelf, by the Decrees of Heaven, commonly contents itself with appealing to the Judgment of God alone, and neither courts the Praife, nor fears the Accufations of another; yet they are worthy of double Honour indeed, who, knowing their own Conscience, ought of right to be judg'd of God only, yet defire all their Actions to be try'd and approv'd by their own very Brethren themselves; which we don't wonder, Brother Cyprian, that you do; who, according to your native Modefty and Care, are willing that we [the Presbyters and Deacons of another Church] fhould judge, or rather be Partners of all your Counfels with you.

This is pretty clear Language, and the holy Martyr himself fays little lefs, when he speaks out to the Lapfed Brethren of his own Diocefe, that S the Church was conftituted upon Bishops, and

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+ Quanquam bene fibi confcius animus, & evangelicæ difciplinæ vigore fubnixus, & verus fibi in decretis cœ. leftibus teftis effectus, foleat folo Deo judice effe contentus, nec alterius aut laudes petere aut accufationes pertimefcere; tamen geminatà funt laude condigni,qui cum confcientiam fciant Deo foli debere fe judici, actus tamen fuos defiderant etiam ab ipfis fuis fratribus comprobari; quod te, frater Cypriane, facere non mirum eft, qui pro tuà verecundiâ & ingenita induftria confiliorum tuorum nos non tam judices voluifti, quam participes invenire. Ep. 30. § 1. Edit. Oxon.

§ Per temporum & fucceffionum vices epifcoporum ordinatio, & Ecclefiæ ratio decurrit, ut ecclefia Super epifcopos conftituatur, & omnis actus ecclefiæ per eofdem prapoftos gubernetur. Cypr. Ep. 33. § 1. Edit, Oxon.

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