VI. CHAP. Tоupyías avтoû Kavóva-"Brethren," saith he, "let every one of you give thanks to God"-that is, "celebrate the Eucharist," 6+ in his language,-" in his own order, being in a good conscience, not stepping out of the set rule of his ministry." Perhaps his meaning is, that they should celebrate by turns. How they were pro § 4. Howsoever, here is my reason, that there was then no Bishop there, because then there could not have been so much debate about the order in celebrating the assemblies of Christians; which, as shall be shewed afterwards, were not to be held but upon appointment of the Bishop, with advice of the presbyters, being a mark of schism to assemble otherwise. And if this be not enough, there is another to second it. Whatsoever may be argued from the dissensions at Corinth, one saying, “I am of Paul,” another, "I am of Cephas," to shew that there was no Bishop there when the Apostle wrote this, and in his absence, still continueth in force at the time of writing Clemens' epistle; the whole sub-65 ject whereof is to quell such another dissension as this, but only that it was not under such colourable names of Paul, and Cephas, and Apollos, as he complaineth, but-which is remarkable to prove my intent-was, as he saith, p. 62o, a mere faction, for the love of one or two persons, against the presbyters, no Bishop bearing any part either at one end or other of it. Neither is it marvel that this Church should be still without a Bishop for some ten or twenty years, perhaps, after the death of the Apostle, so many companions of the Apostles being then alive-Clemens at Rome, Titus in Crete, Timothy at Ephesus, Dionysius at Athens, others elsewhere-to furnish whatsoever assistance they had received from the Apostle during his time, no otherwise than did Timothy and Titus to those Churches, wherein they had planted presbyteries 66 before they had Bishops. § 5. And therefore, if any man ask the question how Bishops pagated came to be propagated through all Churches: the answer and by must be, they were made in due time by the heads of neighbouring Churches; which we shall discern anon, when we come to speak of the course held from the beginning in the what rule. VI. choice and constitution of Bishops. And by the practice of CHAP. the Church, it should seem the aim was afar off to propagate Bishops according to the first practice of the Apostles. For as they planted presbyteries to govern mother-Churches in mother-cities, so, when it became questionable which Churches should have Bishops and which not, the matter was regulated according to the greatness of cities, or the multitude of presbyters which the service of the Churches in them required, 67 whereof the Bishops were to be heads'. And therefore, in the council of Sardicas, can. vi. it is provided, that there should be no Bishop in towns or small cities where one presbyter might serve; but in those places where Bishops were of old time, or if a place became so populous that it might deserve to have a Bishop; that is, either in cities that had been so populous of old time as to have Bishops, or which should afterwards become so populous. But the seventeenth canon of the Chalcedon council', providing against innovation in dioceses, taketh order nevertheless, that when a place is promoted by the emperor to be a city, the form of the Church shall go along with the form of the commonwealth; that is, it shall have a Bishop, and his diocese the territory of that city. There is here a difference in the particular, and yet the same general ground of both canons, the practice of 68 the Apostles, ordaining presbyteries to govern the Churches which they had planted in cities, the heads whereof were Bishops after their departure". And this seemeth to be the reason why the seats of cathedral churches are wont to be cities. And by this means Italy is so full of bishoprics, because it is so full of cities. Vid. Thomassin. Vet. et Nov. Eccl. Discipl. pt. i. lib. i. c. iii. See "The Epilogue," bk. iii. c. 18. 5 Μὴ ἐξεῖναι δὲ ἁπλῶς καθιστᾶν ἐπίσκοπον ἐν κώμῃ τινὶ ἢ βραχείᾳ πόλει, ᾗ τινι καὶ εἷς μόνος Πρεσβύτερος ἐπαρκεῖ. οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον γὰρ ἐπισκόπους ἐκεῖσε καθίστασθαι, ἵνα μὴ κατευτελίζηται τὸ τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὅνομα καὶ ἡ αὐθεντία, ἀλλ ̓ οἱ τῆς ἐπαρχίας, ὡς προεῖπον, ἐπίσκοποι ἐν ταύταις ταῖς πόλεσι καθιστᾶν ἐπισκόπους ὀφείλουσιν, ἔνθα καὶ πρότερον ἐτύγχανον γεγονότες ἐπίσκοποι, εἰ δὲ εὑρίσκοιτο οὕτως πληθύνουσά τις ἐν πολλῷ ἀριθμῷ λαοῦ πόλις, ὡς ἀξίαν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπισκοπῆς νομίζεσθαι, λαμβανέτω. Conc. Sardic. A.D. 347. Labbei, tom. ii. col. 661. ed. Venet. * Εἰ δέ τις ἐκ βασιλικῆς ἐξουσίας και νίσθη πόλις, ἢ αὖθις καινισθείη, τοῖς πολιτικοῖς καὶ δημοσίοις τύποις καὶ τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν παροικιῶν ἡ τάξις ἀκοAovelry.-Concil. Chalcedon. A. D.451. Labbei, tom. iv. col. 1688. ed. Venet. "So the sixth council of Paris, A.D. 829: Sicut unicuique Civitati convenit proprium habere Episcopum, ita et unamquamque Basilicam Deo dicatam decet et oportet proprium habere presbyterum.-Labbei, tom. ix. col. 740. ed. Venet. And before this time, A.D. 755, Ut Episcopi debeant per singulas Civitates esse.-Concil. Vernense, Labbei, tom. viii. col. 417. СНАР. Presbyters with the tures. CHAPTER VII PRESBYTERS GOVERN WITH THE APOSTLES IN SCRIPTURES. NOTHING แ 66 ARE CALLED SACERDOTES," PRESBYTERI," ANTISTITES," AND THE LIKE. HAVING hitherto justified the ground whereupon we go, and shewed that Bishops came after the Apostles to be heads govern of presbyteries, in consequence hereunto it must now be Apostles averred, that the government of Churches passed in common 69 in Scrip- by Bishops and presbyters, as from the beginning the presbyters governed with the Apostles themselves. If in that great action of the council at Jerusalem, the elders of that Church bore their part with the Apostles, what cause have we to think they did less when they were dispersed, St. James alone remaining there? If they concurred with St. James in his advice to St. Paul about a matter of greatest weight,how to deal with those of the circumcision that believed,shall we imagine they did not do the like with his successors? If St. Peter call the presbyters of the Churches to which he writeth his "fellow-elders," it is to the purpose to put them in mind of their share in that office which he chargeth himself with. If the Apostle of the Gentiles charge the elders of the Church of Ephesus, Acts xx. 28, with their part of that care of Christ's flock after his departure, which he for his time 70 had performed over them, shall we think them eased of it because Timothy came to be Bishop there? Rather let me conceive this to be the cause why Timothy's instructions are addressed in the singular number to him alone, without mention of his presbyters,-because they were to receive their charge by themselves about the same time: so far is it from me to think, that his presbyters were not to concur in assisting that course of government, wherein he alone is directed by the Apostle to proceed. And if we can go no further in proving this point out of Scripture, the reason must be, because--as appeareth by that which hath been said—the Scriptures for the most part speak of that time when Bishops yet * See ch. iv. sect. 6. VII. were not, but the Apostles themselves. To which purpose, CHAP. 71 nevertheless, there will be still something to be said out of the Scriptures, in the particulars which we shall survey. done in the their § 2. In the meantime, let us take notice of a few passages, Nothing among many more, out of ecclesiastical writers, to argue the Church general whereof we speak. Ignatius Epist. ad Trall., Ti without δὲ πρεσβυτέριον, saith he, ἀλλ ̓ ἢ σύστημα ἱερὸν, σύμβουλοι advice. καὶ συνεδρευταὶ τοῦ Ἐπισκόπου,we cannot understand righter what the presbytery meaneth than out of these words, "What is the presbytery but a college or bench of assessors to the Bishop in sacred matters." The Commentaries under St. Ambrose's name, upon 1 Tim. v. 1', speak home to this purpose,-Nam apud omnes utique gentes honorabilis est senectus: unde et Synagoga, et postea Ecclesia seniores habuit, quorum sine consilio nihil agebatur in Ecclesia. "For truly age is honourable among all nations; whereupon the Synagogue, and afterwards the Church had elders, without whose advice nothing was done in the Church." This is as much as can be demanded, when we hear that nothing was done in the Church-to wit, by the Bishop-without the 72 advice of his presbyters. The same is affirmed by St. Hierome upon Titus i. 5: Antequam, diaboli instinctu, studia in religione fierent, et diceretur in populis, Ego sum Pauli, ego Apollo, ego autem Cepha, communi presbyterorum consilio Ecclesiæ gubernabantur. "Before there came factions in religion by the instinct of the devil, and it was said among the people, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, I of Cephas, Churches were governed by common advice [of the presbyters]." In that St. Hierome thinketh there were no Bishops till Churches were forced to that course to avoid schisms, it hath been shewed he is not in the right"; but in that he affirmeth that at first Churches were governed by common advice, we may well hear him speak in so good company of witnesses. Last of all, St. Cyprian having said, once for all, epist. vi.o, Quando a primordio episcopatus mei statuerim nihil sine consilio vestro [pres Epist. Interp. cap. vii. p. 66. ed. Coteler. 2 St. Ambros. Opp. tom. ii. col. 298. ed. Ben. St. Hieronymi Opp. tom. iv. col. 413. ed. Ben. b Chap. vi. sect. 2. e Ep. xiv. p. 33. ed. Oxon. 1682, in which the reading is, "Sine consensu plebis, meâ privatim sententiâ gerere," that in the text being the common one. VII. Why both ranks are called dotes," teri," "Antistites," and the like. 73 CHAP. byterorum et diaconorum], et sine consensu plebis meæ, privata sententia gerere, "seeing I have resolved from the beginning of my bishopric to do nothing upon my private judgment, without the advice of you (the presbyters and deacons) and the consent of my people,"-how well he observed it, is yet to be seen in the passage of divers businesses related in his epistles. Out of which the like is to be conceived of the presbyters of Rome, by those things that are touched there. § 3. And this is the true reason why many times-especially among the most ancient Church-writers-Bishop and pres"Sacer- byters both are comprised in the same styles and names, not "Presby- because there were then no Bishops-as some men imagine— but because both states concurred in the same office. Clemens, in the epistle aforesaid, page 54, speaking of the ministries instituted by the Apostles, saith thus, Kadéσtavov τὰς ἀπαρχὰς αὐτῶν, . . . εἰς Ἐπισκόπους καὶ διακόνους τῶν μeóvτWV TIσteve, that is, "they made the first-fruits of believers overseers and ministers"-that is, Bishops and deacons-"of those that should believe." It seemeth, indeed, that Clemens calleth the presbyters Bishops, because as yet there was no other Bishop there, as was proved afore; for so the word is used in St. Paul's epistles and the Acts of the Apostles, for the same reasons, as hath been said. But in Igna- 74 tius' epistle to Hero, his deacon at Antiochia, you have these words: Μηδὲν ἄνευ τῶν Ἐπισκόπων πράττε. Ἱερεῖς γάρ εἰσι, où dè diákovos tŵv iepéwv,—“do nothing without the Bishops,” that is, without the presbyters, "for they are priests, thou a minister of priests," who were indeed Bishops in Ignatius' absence, when this is pretended to be written. And be he who he will be that writ it, I believe it will not often be found that presbyters are called Bishops in any monument of Church-writers after this time, unless it be in these words of Tertullian, De Præscript. c. iii, Quid ergo, si Episcopus, si diaconus, si vidua, "What then if a Bishop, if a deacon, if a widow," &c., where putting the deacon next to the Bishop, he seemeth to comprise the presbyter with him in the same style. For afterwards the name of Bishops became appropriate to the heads of presbyteries; as we heard St. Hierome d Ed. Junii. Cap. xlii. p. 170. ed. Coteler. e Cap. iii. p. 114. ed. Coteler. |