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Minifters of the Mysteries of Jefus Christ, by all means to pleafe all. For they are not Minifters of Meat and Drink, but Minifters of the Church of God. And again, (2) Likewife all of you reverence the Deacons, as the Command of Jefus Chrift; and the BiShop, as Jefus Chrift, who is the Son of the Father: And the Presbyters, as the Council of God, and the Society of Apostles. So to the Smyrneans he lays, (a) All of you follow your Bhop, as Jefus Chrift followed the Father, and the Presbytery, as the Apofles; and reverence the Deacons, as the Command of God. Nothing can be plainer from these Passages, than that the Bybop in St. Ignatius's Days, that is, at the latter End of the Apoftolical Age, was as plainly distinguished from the Presbyters and Deacons, as Christ was from his Apostles whilft he was converfant with them on Earth, the Bishop having the chief Government of the Church, as Christ had whift-on Earth, and the Presbyters and Deacons were Minifters under him as the Apostles were under Chrift. And yet from thefe very Paffages (b) have the Presbyterians pretended to prove that the Power of Ordination is lodged in the Hands of Presbyters, as Succeffor's to the Apostles. For thus they argue, How great foever the Ignatian Prelate may be thought to be, the Presbytery is, by the very fame Author, reprefented as fucceeding to, and coming in the room of, the Apoftolical College. This is a Conceffion we are well contented with, and think

(3) Ὁμοίως πάντες ἐντρεπέπωσαν τοὺ διακόνος ὡς ἐποχὴν Ιησέ Χρισέ, καὶ + ἐπισκοπον ὡς Ιησεν Χριςόν, ὄντα μὲν τὸ πα τρός τοὺς ἢ πρεσβυλέτας, ὡς συνέδριον Θεῖ, καὶ ὡς σώδεσμον Sosóλwv. Ad Fra!! §. 3.

(4) Πάντες το ἐπισκόπω ἀκολυθείτε ὡς Ιησές Χριςός της πατεί, και των πρεσβυτερίω, ὡς τοῖς Σποςόλοις του διακό τες ἐντρέπεπε, ὡς Θεῖ εντολήν. Ad Smyrn 8.

(b) Truth tried, &c. by John Withers, Exon. Printed 1710, P 79.

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we need no other to prove the Validity of a Presbyterian Ordination. But the Gentleman who wrote thus, did not confider that when Ignatius makes the Presbyters Succeffors to the Apoftles, he at the fame time makes the Bishop the Succeffor of Jefus Chrift, and I have proved from the Scriptures that the Apoftles had no Power to ordain whilft Jefus Chrift was with them, that is, fo long as they were meer Presbyters, and not advanced to the Dignity of Bifhops, or chief Governours of the Church, as they were after the Refurre&tion. Confequently that Ignatius makes not Presbyters Succeffors of the Apoftles, as they were Governours of the Church, and had the Power of Ordination, but only as they were Affistant Mihifters under Chrift, and when they had not that Power. But as the Apoftles were after vefted with the Fulness of Spiritual Power, he fpeaks of himfelf, and confequently of other Bishops, as bearing their Character. Thus in the Infcription of his Epiftle to the Trallians he tells them, that he falutes them in Fulness, in the Apoftolical Character, fpeaking of himself, as vefted with Apoftolical Power, confequently a Succeffor to them, and of the fame Order.

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6 XIV. And as St. Ignatius, the Contemporary of the Apostles, fhews that the Bifhops ftood in the Place of Christ, that is, were vefted with the fame Authority which he conferred upon his Apoftles when he fent them, as the Father fent him, whereby they became his firft Succeffors; and alfo in the Place of the, Apostles, as they fucceeded to Christ in the Government of the Church; fo the

**Ην καὶ ἀσπάζομαι ἐν τῷ πληρώματι, ἐν Ἀποστολικό Xaegnyer.

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following Fathers fpeak of the Bishops as the Succeffors of the Apostles in the chief Government of the Church, which was committed to them by Christ, and by them to the Bifhops. Thus (c) Irenaus, who lived not long after St. Ignatius, being made Bishop of Lyons in France about the Year 167, fays, We can number those who were inftituted Bishops in the feveral Churches by the Apostles and their Succeffors, even to our felves. And then giving us a Catalogue of the Bishops of Rome from St. Peter and St. Paul, who were joint Founders of that Church, down to Eleutherius, who was Bishop there at the time he wrote: He tells us alfo, that Polycarp, whom he faw in his younger Years, was inftructed by the Apostles, and converfed with many of those who faw our Lord, and was made by the Apoftles Bifhop of Smyrna. (d) Again he fays, The Doctrine of the Apostles, and the ancient State of the Church throughout the World, and the Form of the Body or Church of Christ, according to the Succeffions of the Bishops, to whom they delivered that Church which is in every Place. And again (e) All these are much later than thofe Bishops to whom the Apostles delivered the Churches. And that by Bishops in thefe Places he means an Order of Men fuperiour to Presbyters, is manifeft from his naming Polycarp amongst them, thereby plainly teaching us that the others

(c) Habemus annumerare eos qui ab Apoftolis inftituti funt Epifcopi in Ecclefiis, & fucceffores eorum ufq; ad nos. Irena. lib 3. cap. 3.

(d) Apoftolorum do&trina, & antiquus Ecclefiæ ftatus in univerfo mundo: & character corporis Chrifti fecundum fucceffiones Epifcoporum, quibus illi eam, quæ in unoquoq; loco eft, Ecclefiam tradiderunt. Iren. lib. 4. cap. 63.

(e) Omnes ii, valde pofteriores funt quam Epifcopi, quibus Apoftoli tradiderunt Ecclefias. Iren. lib. 5. cap. 20.

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were all of them fuch Bifhops as Polycarp. Now that Polycarp was fuperior to the Presbyters, and the Head or Chief over a Presbytery, is evident from his Epiftle to the Philippians, when he fent them the Seven Epiftles of St. Ignatius, Four of which were written by that glorious Martyr in his House, Two more were written to himself and his Church of Smyrna, and the other was written to his Neighbour Church of Philadelphia; fo that he could not but be able to procure genuine Copies of every one of them. (u) This Epiftle of St. Polycarp begins thus: Polycarp and the Presbyters that are with him, to the Church of God which dwells at Philippi. This Infcription plainly teaches us that Polycarp was Chief above a Company of Presbyters, and St. Ignatius, who was fome Time in his Houfe, in his Epiftle to him (w) ftiles him Bishop, faying, Ignatius, who is alfo called Theophorus, to Polycarp Bishop of the Smyrneans. And that he was fuch a Bifhop as Ignatius fays ftands in the Place of God or Chrift, is evident, not only from what I have quoted before from that Father out of his Epiftle to the Smyrneans, over whom Polycarp was Bishop, but alfo from this very Epiftle to Polycarp himself, wherein making an Apoftrophe to his Flock, he fays, (x) Hearken to your Bijpop, that God may also hearken unto you. My Soul for theirs who are fubject to the Bishop, the Presbyters, and the Deacons,.

(4) ΠολύκαρπΘ καὶ ὁι σε αυτό πρεσβύτεροι τῇ ἐκκλη σία το Θεῖ τη παροικέση Φιλίπποις.

(τ) ἸγνάτιΘ, ὁ καὶ Θεοφός Πολυκάρπῳ ἐπισκόπῳ εκκλησίας Σμυρναίων.

(*) Τῷ ἐπισκόπω προσέχετε, ἵνα καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῖν. Αιτία ψυχον ἐγὼ ἢ ὑποταπομύων τῷ ἐπισκόπω, σρεσβυτέροις, διακόνοις· και μετ' αυτῶν μοι τὸ μές θ λύοιτο χειν ἐν Θεῷ. Ignat. ad Polycarp. § 6.

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and may I have the fame Portion with them in the Lord. I have been the more particular upon this Point, to prove Polycarp, and confequently the reft of those Bishops whom Irenaus names as Succeffors to the Apoftles, to have been fuch Bishops as Ignatius fpeaks of, who had fo plainly an Authority above Presbyters, excelling them both in Order and Dignity, and to whom the chief Government of the Church belonged, so that nothing could be done in the Church without the Bishop, because the Presbyterians, from their great Mafters Blondel and Salmafius, have endeavoured, from the Authority of Irenaus, 'to reduce thefe Bishops, whofe Succeffion he fpeaks of, down to the Rank of Presbyters, because he fometimes calls them fo. Thus (z) Mr. Withers speaks, after having made Ignatius a Presbyterian, as has been already obferved, and says, A fecond Witness to the Jame Purpofe is Irenæus, Bishop of Lyons, who flouribed in the Second Century, who thus expreffes himfelf when difputing against the Valerian Hereticks. When (Jays he) we challenge those who are Enemies to Tradition, to have recourfe to that Tradi tion which is derived from the Apoftles, and which by a SUCCESSION of PRESBYTERS is preferved in the Churches; will they fay that they are wifer not only than Presbyters, but even than the Apoftles themselves? If any thing can be more exprefs and pofitive, 'tis the Affertion of the fame Author, who in another place affirms, That Men ought to obey those Presbyters that are in the Church, even those who have their SUCCESSION FROM THE APOSTLES, who, with the Succeffion of Epifcopacy, have received the certain Gift of Truth, according to the good Pleasure of the Father. In which

(3) Truth tried, p. 8o.

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