and that, in this power, the order of a bishop is higher than that of a presbyter, and so declared by this instance of catholic practice. SECTION XXXIV. And Jurisdiction. Which they expressed in Attributes of Authority and great Power. THUS far I hope we are right. But I call to mind, that in the nosotrophium of the old philosopher, that undertook to cure all calentures by bathing his patients in water; some were up to the chin, some to the middle, some to the knees;· so it is amongst the enemies of the sacred order of episcopacy; some endure not the name, and they, indeed, deserve to be over head and ears; some will have them all one in office with presbyters, as at first they were in name; and they had need bathe up to the chin; but some stand shallower, and grant a little distinction, a precedency perhaps for order's sake, but no pre-eminence in reglement, no superiority of jurisdiction: others by all means would be thought to be quite through in behalf of bishops' order and power, such as it is, but call for a reduction to the primitive state, and would have all bishops like the primitive; but because by this means they think to impair their power, they may well endure to be up to the ancles; their error indeed is less, and their pretence fairer, but the use they make of it, of very ill consequence. But curing the mistake will quickly cure this distemper. That then shall be the present issue, that in the primitive church bishops had more power, and greater exercise of absolute jurisdiction, than now men will endure to be granted, or than themselves are very forward to challenge. 1. Then the primitive church expressing the calling and offices of a bishop, did it in terms of presidency and authority. Episcopus typum Dei Patris omnium gerit," saith St. Ignatius: "the bishop carries the representment of God the Father," that is, in power and authority to be sure, (for Epist. ad Trall. how else?) so as to be the supreme' in suo ordine,' in offices ecclesiastical. And again, "Quid enim aliud est episcopus quàm is, qui omni principatu et potestate superior est?" Here his superiority and advantage is expressed to be in his 'power' a bishop is greater and higher than all other in power, viz. in materiâ,' or gradu religionis.' And in his epistle to the Magnesians: "Hortor ut hoc sit omnibus studium in Dei concordiâ, omnia agere, episcopo præsidente loco Dei:" "Do all things in unity, the bishop being president in the place of God." President' in all things. And with a fuller tide yet, in his epistle to the church of Smyrna : "Honora episcopum ut principem sacerdotum imaginem Dei referentem, Dei quidem propter principatum, Christi verò propter sacerdotium." It is full of fine expression both for eminency of order and jurisdiction. The bishop is the prince of the priests, bearing the image of God for his principality,' that is his jurisdiction and power: but of Christ himself for his priesthood;' that is his order. St. Ignatius hath spoken fairly; and if we consider that he was so primitive a man that himself saw Christ in the flesh, and lived a man of exemplary sanctity, and died a martyr, and hath been honoured as a holy catholic by all posterity, certainly these testimonies must needs be of great pressure, being 'sententiæ repetiti dogmatis,' .not casually slipped from him, and by incogitancy, but resolutely and frequently. But this is attested by the general expressions of afterages. "Fungaris circa eum potestate honoris tui," saith St. Cyprian to bishop Rogatianus": "Execute the power of thy dignity" upon the refractory deacon; and 'vigor episcopalis,' and 'auctoritas cathedræ,' are the words expressive of that power, whatsoever it be, which St. Cyprian calls upon him to assert, in the same epistle. This is high enough. So is that which he presently subjoins, calling the bishops' power "ecclesiæ gubernandæ sublimem ac divinam potestatem," "a high and a divine power and authority in regiment of the church." "Locus magisterii traditus ab apostolis," so St. Irenæus calls episcopacy; "a place of mastership or authority delivered by the apostles to the bishops their successors." Eusebius, speaking of Dionysius, who suc ceeded Heraclas, he received, (saith he,) τñç πgoστaolas tāv nar ̓Αλεξάνδρειαν ἐκκλησιῶν τὴν ἐπισκοπὴν “, “ the bishoprick of the presidency over the churches of Alexandria:” εἰς τὴν ἀψίδα Tйs ÉжIσиоπйs, saith the council of Sardis; "to the top or height of episcopacy." Apices et principes omnium," so Optatus calls bishops; "the chief and head of all;"—and St. Denis, of Alexandria ", " scribit ad Fabianum, urbis Romæ episcopum, et ad alios quam plurimos ecclesiarum principes de fide catholicâ suâ," saith Eusebius. And Origen calls the bishop," eum qui totius ecclesiæ arcem obtinet;"" he that hath obtained the tower or height of the church f." The fathers of the council of Constantinople, in Trullo, ordained that the bishops, dispossessed of their churches by encroachments of barbarous people upon the churches' pale, so as the bishop had in effect no diocese, yet they should enjoy τῇ τῆς προεδρίας εὐθεντίᾳ κατὰ τὸν ἴδιον ὅρον, « the authority of their presidency according to their proper state;" their appropriate presidency. And the same council calls the bishop τὸν τῆς πόλεως πρόεδρον, "the prelate or prefect of the church;" I know not how to expound it better. But it is something more full in the Greeks' council of Carthage, commanding that the convert Donatists should be received according to the will and pleasure of the bishop, Toù év Tậ αὐτῷ τόπῳ κυβερνῶντος ἐκκλησίαν, " that governs the church in that place." And in the council of Antioch, πionoπov ëxeiv τῶν τῆς ἐκκλησίας πραγμάτων ἐξουσίαν », " the bishop hath power over the affairs of the church." "Hoc quidem tempore Romanæ ecclesiæ Sylvester retinacula gubernabat:" "St. Sylvester (the bishop) held the reins or the stern of the Roman church;" saith Theodoret1. But the instances of this kind are infinite; two may be as good as twenty, and these they are. The first is of St. Ambrose: "Honor et sublimitas episcopalis nullis poterit comparationibus adæquari:" "The honour and sublimity of episcopal order is beyond all comparison great." And their commission he specifies to be in pasce oves meas;'" unde regendæ sacerdotibus contraduntur, meritò rectoribus suis subdi dicuntur," &c.: "The sheep are delivered to bishops d Lib. vi. Hist. c. 26. can. 10. Lib. vi. Hist. c. 26. Homil. 7. in Jerem. h Can. 25. i Hist. Tripart. lib. i. cap. 12. e Lib. ii. adv. Parmen. * De Dignit. Sacerdot, c. 2. as to rulers, and are made their subjects:" and in the next chapter; "Hæc verò cuncta, fratres, ideò nos præmisisse cognoscere debetis, ut ostenderemus nihil esse in hoc sæculo excellentius sacerdotibus, nihil sublimius episcopis reperiri : ut cùm dignitatem episcopatûs episcoporum oraculis demonstramus, et dignè noscamus quid sumus, actione potius quàm nomine demonstremus:" "These things I have said, that you may know nothing is higher, nothing more excellent, than the dignity and eminence of a bishop," &c. The other is of St. Jerome: "Cura totius ecclesiæ ad episcopum pertinet:" "The care of the whole church appertains to the bishop." But more confidently spoken is that in his dialogue adversus Luciferianos: "Ecclesiæ salus in summi sacerdotis dignitate pendet; cui si non exsors quædam et ab omnibus eminens detur potestas, tot in ecclesiis efficientur schismata quot sacerdotes:" "The safety of the church consists in the dignity of a bishop, to whom unless an eminent and unparalleled power be given by all, there will be as many schisms as priestsm." Here is dignity, and authority, and power enough expressed; and if words be expressive of things, (and there is no other use of them,) then the bishop is superior in a peerless and incomparable authority; and all the whole diocese are his subjects, viz. in regimine spirituali.' SECTION XXXV. Requiring Universal Obedience to be given to Bishops by Clergy and Laity. BUT from words let us pass to things. For the faith and practice of Christendom require obedience, universal obedience, to be given to bishops. I will begin again with Ignatius, that these men, who call for reduction of episcopacy to primitive consistence, may see what they gain by it; for the more primitive the testimonies are, the greater exaction of obedience to bishops; for it happened in this, as in all other things at first, Christians were more devout, more pursuing of their duties, more zealous in attestation of every particle of their faith: and that episcopacy is now come to so low an ebb, it is nothing; but that, it being a great part of Christianity to honour and obey them, it hath the fate of all other parts of our religion, and particularly of charity, come to so low a declension, as it can scarce stand alone; and faith, which shall scarce be found upon earth at the coming of the Son of Man. But to our business. St. Ignatius, in his epistle to the church of Trallis, “Necesse itaque est," saith he, " quicquid facitis, ut sine episcopo nihil tentetis." So the Latin of Vedelius, which I the rather choose, because I am willing to give all the advantage I can. "It is necessary," saith the good martyr, " that whatsoever ye do, you should attempt nothing without your bishop." And to the Magnesians, " Decet itaque vos obedire episcopo, et in nullo illi refragari:" "It is fitting that ye should obey your bishop, and in nothing to be refractory to him." Here is both a decet' and a 'necesse est,' already. It is very fitting, it is necessary.' But, if it be possible, we have a fuller expression yet, in the same epistle: "Quemadmodum enim Dominus sine Patre nihil facit, 'Nec enim possum facere à meipso quicquam:' sic et vos sine episcopo, nec diaconus, nec laiconus, nec laicus; nec quicquam videatur vobis consentaneum quod sit præter illius judicium; quod enim tale est, et Deo inimicum." Here is obedience universal, both in respect of things and persons; and all this no less than absolutely necessary. "For as Christ obeyed his Father in all things, saying, Of myself I can do nothing;' so nor you without your bishop, whoever you be, whether priest, or deacon, or layman: let nothing please you, which the bishop dislikes; for all such things are wicked, and in enmity with God." But it seems St. Ignatius was mightily in love with this precept, for he gives it to almost all the churches he writes to. We have already reckoned the Trallians and the Magnesians. But the same he gives to the priests of Tarsus, οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑποτασσέτωσαν ἐπισκόπῳ. "Ye presbyters, be subject to your bishop." The same to the Philadelphians : "Sine episcopo nihil facite:" "Do nothing without your bishop." But this is better explicated in his epistle to the |