thofe Intruders, fince it is the main End of his Epiftles to the Corinthians to convince them that they were in the wrong in fo doing. Not that he was for hindring any one from coming thither in his Abfence, or even when he was prefent, to teach and inftruct the People in Conjunction with himfelf, nor was he offended that Apollos or Cephas or any other Minifter of Christ fhould water what he had planted, whilst they acted only as Brothers, Companions or FellowLabourers, if they were Apoftles of the fame Order with himself; or as Minifters under him, if they were of an Inferior Order. But he could not approve that they should do thus within his Line, in Oppofition to him, and without any Dependence upon him, without any regard to his Jurifdiction there, as the true Apostle or Bishop of that Flock; nor could he like of the Peoples joining in Communion with fuch Men as their Paftors. Hence it is manifeft, that the Civil Magiftrates forbidding an Apoftle or Bishop to exercise his Function, and not only threatning, but actually executing the feverest Temporal Punishments upon him, if he fhall difobey in this Cafe, does not really diveft fuch Apostle or Bishop of his Spiritual Authority over his Flock, or Authorize an Intruder to take Poffeffion of his See; nor will it justify the People that fhall join with fuch an Intruder in this Cafe.

§ XXXVI. Those who firft engaged in this Argument of late Years, did not undertake to justify LayDeprivations, but only pretended we may comply with them, though fuppofing them to be not only Unjust, but Invalid, if impofed by an irrefiftible Power, provided those be otherwife Orthodox, who take Poffeflion of their Places. Dr. Hody indeed has told us, that he reserved (0) the Vindication of the Authority of

(0) Preface to the Cafe of Sees Vacant, &c.
F

the

the Civil Power, in depriving a Bishop for Political Crimes, for a particular Treatife. But upon farther Confideration, he thought it better not to make any fuch Attempt. But that which he did think proper to maintain, was, that granting all Lay-deprivations were invalid; nay, fuppofing them not only uncanonical but unjuft; nay, fuppofe the Depriver not only a Lay-man but doubly unqualified by being likewife an Heretick: Suppose befides that the ejected Bishop was deprived for adhering to the Truth, and for oppofing Vice or Herefy: NotwithStanding all this, he afferts, That if he was deprived by a Pomer irrefiftible, a Submiffion to the prefent Poffeffor, (if otherwife unexceptionable) is lawful and warranted by the general Practice of the Ancients. And in order to prove this, he gives us a long Catalogue of Examples from the Practice of the Ancient Church, as he calls it. But his eldeft Inftances come not up to the fourth Century, and all before are directly againft him as has been fhewed by the Learned Author of the Hiftorical Collections. They are all Inftances taken from the Corrupt Ages of the Church, and were they all fairly reprefented (and they are many of them far from being fo) would not be proper Precedents for us to follow. Indeed the Cafe of Euftathius of Antioch, and of S. John Chryfoftom come within the fourth Century; and might be allowed as good Precedents, but he has fhamefully mifreprefented them, for being rightly ftated and confidered, they are directly against him. But if they were not, this Inftance of S. Paul the Apostle and Bishop of the Corinthians, is a Precedent beyond all others; and if he did not think the feculer Power, which is what Dr. Hody means by his Irresistible Force, could depofe him from his Spiritual Authority over the Corinthians, then can they not depofe any of his Succeflors, that is any Bishop of his Authority over his Diocese. Now that the fecular Governors depofed S. Paul, as far as it was in their Power to do, is moft certain from what

I have already produced. For they forbad him to exercise his Function of an Apoftle or Bifhop; and when he did not think fit to obey them, being of the fame Opinion with the other Apoftles, that he ought to obey God rather than Man, they imprifon'd him, they scourged him, they threatned him with Death, and had actually put him to Death if he had not made Efcapes from them by getting out of a Window in a Basket or fuch like way. Whilft S. Paul lay under this State Depofition, under this irrefiftible Force, fome Perfons came to Corinth, which was S. Paul's District or Diocese, and took upon them to govern that Church Independent on him, the Magistrates gave thefe Men no Disturbance, but permitted them to perform the Offices of Chriftian Priests in that Place, and that Church was free from Perfecution, whilft they withdrew from S. Paul's Communion. Yet this Submiffion of theirs to the prefent Poffeffors whilst S. Paul was kept from them by an irrefiftible Power, was the very thing he condemned them for; the thing for which he blamed them in both his Epifties, and told them that whilft they continued in this Schifm, all their Gifts and Graces; nay, all the good Deeds they could perform under fuch a Breach of Charity or Unity of the Church, would profit them Nothing. And these Epistles of S. Paul, contain not his bare Opinion, but were written by Infpiration of the Holy Ghost. They are the Word of God, and therefore the Doctrines contained in them are of Divine Authority, and are not to be cancelled by any humane Reasons or Precedents. And the Practice of the truly Primitive Church, was agreeable to this very Doctrine, as is evident from their acting, with regard to the Novatians, the Donatifts and the Meletians.

§ XXXVII. It's alledged, (p) (fays Dr. Hody) by one of our Adverfaries that the Novatians, the Donatifts, and the Meletians of Egypt mere Schifmaticks in the Opinion of the Church, because the Bishops who first headed them, were fecond Bishops; but this is easily anfwer'd: For the Bishops whom they followed, were not fet up by any Sovereign coercive Power, in the room of others depofed, but were fet up by Inferiour Perfons, against others poffeffed of the Sees. I have already faid, that it is not every one whom a fmall tumultuous Party Shall get to be ordained, that ought to be received as a Bishop but that which we maintain is this, That where the lawful Bishop is depofed by an irrefiftible Party, there the Succeffor may be acknowledged.

§ XXXVIII. But it is evident from S. Cyprian (an Author who lived in the time of Novatian, and has given a fuller Account of the Rife of that Schifm than any other) that the Novatians were not a fmall tumultuous Party, but a very numerous Body, and alfo had the Protection of the State when the Orthodox had it not. And if they were not at first fet up by the Sovereign Power, they were foon received and protected by it; they were allowed to purchafe Lands and Houses, to build Churches and enjoy them, and were protected in the Execution of their Spiritual Functions, whilft the Catholicks were perfecuted by the Emperors Gallus and Volufianus. That they were a numerous Body, diffused in all Parts of the Empire, S. Cyprian fhews when he tells us, (q) That whereas

(p) Cafe of Sees Vacant, pag. 195.

(q) Cumq; jampridem per omnes Provincias & per Urbes fingulas Ordinati fint Epifcopi, in ætate antiqui, in fide integri, in Preffura Probati, in Perfecutione profcripti; Ille fuper eos creare alios Pfeudoepifcopos audeat. Quafi poffit aut totum Orbem novi conatus obftinatione peragrare, Cypr. Epift. 55. P. 112.

Long

long fince Bishops venerable for Age, found in Faith, approved by Oppreffion, profcribed in Perfecutions, have been ordained in all Provinces, and in every City, he [Novatian] dares to fut over their Heads other PfeudoBishops, as if he was able to over-run the World by perfifting in his new Attempt. For a fmall tumultuous Party could not immediately fet up Bishops in all the Provinces and Cities of that large Empire, which contained the greatest part of the then known World. That they were allowed to purchase Lands and Houses, to build Churches and enjoy them; nay, and to take Poffeffion at leaft of fome Churches, and Church-Lands or Houfes belonging to the Catholicks, which it is certain they could not have done, had they not been protected and encouraged by the Secular Power, appears from a Law of Conftantine the Great, made about 80 Years after theSchifm began,(+) wherein he confirms to the Novatians, all their Poffeffions which they had a long time enjoy'd, excepting only thofe which belonged to the Catholicks before the Schifm. That they were alfo protected in the Exercise of their Functions whilft the Catholicks were perfecuted by the Emperors Gallus and Volufianus, is evident from S. Cyprian, who in an Epistle to Corne lius the true Bishop of Rome, against whom Novatianus was fet up, having congratulated Cornelius for his bold Confeflion of the Chriftian Faith, and for his fuffering Banifhment in fo good à Cause, says,

(r) Itaq; Ecclefiæ fuæ Domos, & loca fepulchris apta, fine inquietudine cos firmiter præcipimos: ea fcilicet quæ ex diuturno tempore vel exemplo habuerunt vel qualibet quæfierunt ratione. Providendum erit ne quid ufurpare conentur ex his quæ ante difcidium, ad Ecclelias perpetuæ fanétitatis per tinuiffe manifeftum eft. Cod. Theodof. 1. 2. lit. 5.