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of his general Propofition, but barely the Repetition of Juftin Martyr's Sundays Affemblies again, where all in Cities and Countries (he fays) met in one Place, which I conceive I have fhewn already, to contain an irreconcilable Inconsistency in it, and that it proves no fuch thing.

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But to make all fure, he tells us, The Chriftians, in Tertullian's Time and Country, receiv'd the Sacrament of the Lord's-Supper from the Hands of the Bishop alone | But how do we know that Tertullian's Prefidents in this Place (for that's his Word, as you fee in the Margin) were the Bishops only? Now, as far as our Enquirer can affure us of it, you may find in pag. 67. of this Tract of his; where we read, that Prefident Was one difcretive Appellation of a Bishop, and yet S. Cyprian (fays he) calls his Presbyters Prefidents too: Mayn't we be very well affur'd then (do you think) that Tertullian (whom S. Cyprian familiarly call'd his Master) cou'd mean nothing else by his Presidents, but Bishops of a Diocese alone, fince his Great Difciple, S. Cyprian, thought no fuch thing of it? At leaft, wou'd not one think, that our ingenious Author fhou'd fatisfy his Reader a little with fome certain Note here, that in this Paffage of Tertullian, it cou'd be meant no otherwife, fince he himself had made that Obfervation for us? But to be short, and to give a fair Account of the Scope of that Paffage in Tertulian; it was thus:

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*Enquiry, p. 19.

Nec de aliorum manu quàm Præfidentium fumimus. Tert. de Coron. Mil. p. 12.. Edit. Rigalt. Lu tetiæ, 1641.

thus: Tertullian was contending for the Authority of Tradition for many common Rites then us'd in the Christian Church, without a Scripture Warrant for them. Amongst these Cuftoms, he inftances a general Practice in the Church then, to Communicate in the Morning, different from the Time of the Institution itself, and together with that, this which we are now speaking of, That they receiv'd the Communion from the Prefident's Hands alone; both equally common in his Days in the Christian Church; which, to make as clear an Interpretation of it as we can, I think implies neither more nor less than this, that as the Sacrament was then generally Adminifter'd in the Morning, fo wherever it was Adminifter'd, the Confecrated Elements were usually deliver'd to the Communicants (as it is indeed most in Ufe now) by the Hands of them only, who prefided in the feveral Affemblies where thofe holy Exercises were perform'd; that is, I humbly conceive, by the Officiating Minifters † themselves. And what Appearance of Proof there is in all this,for a Bishop's Perfonally diftributing the Bleffed Elements to every Communicant in his whole Diocese, at one Time and in one Place; I defire the Words and Context may be fifted, and I fhou'd willingly fet down by the Reader's Judgment of it.

Well!

Euchariftiæ Sacramentum, & in tempore victûs, & omnibus mandatum à Domino, etiam antelucanis cœtibus, nec de aliorum manu, quam Præfidentium su. mimus. Tertul. Ib.

Where is in many Places (as Juftin Martyr tells us > the Deacons used to do it.

Well! But the Bishop alone (generally,* fays he) baptized all in his Diocefe. How much the Word generally implys, I need not overnicely enquire He himself, again, gives me an easier Solution of it; for (Page 55.) he tells us from the fame Tertullian, That the BiShop bath the Right of Baptifm, and then the Pref byters and Deacons, but for the Honour of the Church, not without the Bishop's Authority.

I shall obferve no more at prefent from this Quotation, than this; that the Presbyters and Deacons might Baptize in the Diocese, if the Bishop allow'd them to do it; as S. Ignatius (we know before) admitted that Baptifm to be acceptable to God, which the Bishop fhou'd approve; fo that the Whole of the Matter (it feems) is this, That the Bishop, with his Presbyters and Deacons, muft Baptize all in the Diocese; and this is offer'd as a Reason, that a Diocese must be no more than a Congregational Church, because the Bishop cou'd not otherwise do all; for as for his generally doing it, that is our Enquirer's own; neither Quotation has a tittle of it.

I confefs, that Conteftation mention'd here, which was the Repunciation-Form, which all Adult Catechumens us'd in their own Perfons, to teftify their forfaking the Devil, the Pomp, c. before they actually were baptiz'd; 'tis probable (and poffible enough too) it might be in the Prefence of the Bishop himself, and F 2

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* Enquiry, p. 21. Sub Antiftite conteftamur nos renunciare Diabolo & pompa. Tertul. de Coron. Mil. c. 3. P. 121. ut fuprá.

the Diocese have a fufficient Plurality of Congregations in it too; fince it was a very large Space of Time, (as Tertullian expreffes it) which was set apart for this very Ordering of Baptifm every Year, even the fifty Days, from Eafter to Whitfontide, including the Festivals, as you'll fee, his Account of it, in the Margin, fhews.

It is a hard Task to attend fuch Minute Particulars, when I have produc'd before, fuch general Rules, as might anfwer all at once: But I am willing to please. He tells us farther then, that Justin Martyr affures us, * The Bishop was common Curator, and Overfeer, of all the Orphans, Widows, Difeafed; in a word, of all that were Needy and Indigent; and thence infers, That the Diocefe cou'd not be very large, where the Bishop Perfonally reliev'd them all. Now, the feeming Force of this Argument does not lie in Juftin Martyr's Words, but in the difcreet Manner of wording the Inference from them, with a little Help in the Tranflation: The Holy Martyr faid juft before, that the Collection of the People's Alms was depofited in their President's Hands, and immediately fubjoins, that he took care to relieve all kind of

Diem baptifmo folennem pafcha præftat exinde Pentecofte, ordinandis lavacris latiffimum fpatium eft, quo & domini Refurrectio inter Difcipulos frequentata eft. Tertul. de Bapt. c. 19. Edit. Rigal. Lutet. 1641.

* Τὸ συλλεγόμενον αρα των Προεςώτι Σποτίθεθ, κ αυτὸς ἐπικερῶς ὀρφάνοις τε καὶ χήραις, καὶ τοῖς διὰ νόσον ἢ δι ̓ ἄλλην ἀλίαν λειπομένοις, καὶ τοῖς ἐν δεσμοῖς ἔσι, καὶ τοῖς παρεπιδήμοις ἔσι ξένοις, καὶ ἁπλῶς τοῖς ἐν Xped for undepav vive. Juft. Mart. Apol. 2. p. 99. Edit. Colon. 1686.

of diftrefs'd Perfons (there mention'd) and out of the Offerings, to be fure, that were fo entrufted with him. Our Enquirer infers, that he Perfonally did this; by which he wou'd have us understand, that all whom the Churches Charity reliev'd, the Bishop perfonally visited, inspected every individual Cafe from firft to laft, himself alone, and distributed Relief to the poor Sufferers with his own Hand; for here the Stress of all lies, which must neceffarily prove them to be fo few; and to give a better Colour to this Interpretation, he finds out a noted Parish-Term for this Epifcopal Almoner, and tranflates him an Overfeer. Now let the common Sense of all Mankind judge for us, if any publick Truft of this Nature was ever underftood to be neceffarily executed fo in any fort of Society whatsoever. I believe Justin Martyr himself (or any other Chriftian Wri ter besides him) would have ventur'd to say as much, or more (than all we have here) of S. Paul's Care in treasuring up and diftributing the Alms of many Christian Congregations, for the Relief of all his Churches: And yet in the Sense we here contend for, he had fuccour'd but a poor Number of the Whole, and been but a fmail Sub-Almoner in the Matter, if what he obtain'd of the feveral Churches to collect, what the Presbyters and Elders did by his Order in it, and the Meffengers of their own too, which he allow'd to distribute it for him, had not been imputed to his own Perfon, as common Governor and Guardian for them all. And why fhou'd it then be fo impracticable a Thing, as is here pretended, for any fingle Perfon to

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