You found in the church Deacons, Prefbyters, Bishops; you have made them laymen; acknowledge that you have fubverted fouls."

A. D. 370. St. Ambrofe, Bishop of Milan, upon Eph. iv. 11, fpeaking of the feveral orders of the church; "And he gave some

Apostles, and fome Prophets and Evangelifts," &c. says, “That by the Apostles there were meant the Bishops; by Prophets, the expounders of the Scriptures; and by the Evangelifts, the Deacons. But fays that they all met in the Bishop, for that he was the chief Prieft; that is (fays he) the Prince of the Priests, and both Prophet and Evangelift, to fupply all the offices of the church for the ministry of the faithful.”

And upon 1 Cor. xii. 28, fays, "That Chrift constituted the Apostles head in the church; and that these are the Bifhops."

And upon verfe 29. "Are all Apoftles?" i. e. all are not Apostles. "This is true, (fays he) because in the church there is but one Bishop.

"And because all things are from one God the Father, therefore hath he appointed that one Bishop should prefide over each church."

In his book of the Dignity of the Priefthood, c. 3, he says, "That there is nothing in this world to be found more excellent than the Priests, nothing more fublime than the Bishops."

And, fpeaking of what was incumbent upon the feveral orders of the church, he does plainly diftinguish them; for, says he, in the fame place,

"God does require. one thing from a Bishop, another from a Prefbyter, another from a Deacon, another from a layman.”

St. Jerome, A. D. 380, in his comment upon the Ep. to Titus. "When it began to be faid, I am of Paul, I of Apollos, &c. and every one thought that thofe whom he baptized belonged to himself, and not to Chrift, it was decreed through the whole earth, that one chofen from among the Presbyters should be set over the reft, that the feeds of schifm might be taken away."

In his epift. to Evagrius. "From Mark the Evangelift to Heraclas and Dionyfius the Bifhops, the Prefbyters of Egypt have always chofen out one from among themselves, whom having placed in an higher degree than the reft, they called their Bishop.

"He that is advanced, is advanced from less to greater.

"The greatnefs of riches, or the humility of poverty, does not make a Bishop greater or less, seeing all of them are the fucceffors of the Apostles.

"That we may know the apoftolical economy to be taken from the pattern of the Old Teftament, the same that Aaron and his fons, and the Levites were in the temple, the Bishops, Prefbyters, and Deacons are in the church of Chrift."

And Nepotianum. "Be fubject to your Bishop or chief Prieft, and receive him as the father of your foul."

Adverf. Luciferianos. "The fafety of the church depends upon the dignity of the High-Priest, to whom unless a fort of abfolute and eminent power be given above all, there will be as many fchifms in the church as there are Priefts. Thence it is, that without the command of the Bishop, neither a Presbyter, nor a Deacon, have power to baptize-And the Bishop is to impofe his hands upon those who are baptized by Prefbyters or Deacons, for the invocation of the Holy Spirit.

And comforting Heliodorus, a Bifhep, upon the death of Nepotian, his prefbyter and his nephew, he commends Nepotian in that he reverenced his Bishop. "He honoured Heliodorus in public as his Bishop, at home as his father: but among his Prefbyters and co-equals he was the first in his vocation, &c."

Upon the Ixth of Isaiah he calls the future Bishops "Princes of the church."

Infcript. Ecclefiaft. de Jacobo. "James, after the paffion of our Lord, was immediately by the Apoftles ordained Bithop of Jerufalem." The like he tells of the first Bishops of other places.

Ep. 54. contra Montanum. "With us the Bishops hold the place of the Apostles."

A. D. 420. St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo in Africa, epist. 42. The root of the Chriftian Society is diffused throughout the world, in a fure propagation, by the feats of the Apostles, and the fucceffion of the Bishops.

Quæft. Veter. et Novi Teft. fect. 97. "There is none but knows that our Saviour did conftitute Eifhops in the churches; for before he afcended into heaven he laid his hands upon the Apoftles, and ordained them Bishops."

L. 7, c. 43. "The fentence of our Lord Jefus Chrift is clear, who fent his Apostles, and gave to them alone that power which

he had received from his Father; to whom we have fucceeded, governing the church of God by the fame power."

Ep. 162, fpeaking of the Bishops being called angels, Rev. ii. he fays, "By the voice of God the governor of the church is praised, under the name of an angel."

De verbis Domini, Serm. 24, "If he faid to the Apostles alone, "He that defpifeth you, defpifeth me," then defpife us: but if those words of his come down even unto us, and that he has called us, and constituted us in their place, fee that you do not despise

us."

Contra Fauft. lib. 33, cap. ult. We embrace the Holy Scripture, which from the times of the prefence of Chrift himfelf, by the difpofition of the Apoftles, and the fucceffions of other Bishops from their feats, even to these times, has come down to us, fafely kept, commended, and honoured through the whole earth."

Lib. 2, contra Literas Petiliani, c. 51. "What has the chair of the church of Rome done to thee, in which Peter fat, and in which at this day Anastasius sits; or of the church of Jerufalem, in which James did fit, and in which John does now fit?"

Contra Julianum, 1. 2, cap. ult. “Irenæus, Cyprian, Reticins, Olympius, Hilary, Gregory, Bafil, John, Ambrose-these were Bifhops, grave, learned, &c."

Queft. ex Vet. Teft. qu. 35. "The King bears the image of God, as the Bishop of Chrift.. Therefore while he is in that ftation he is to be honoured, if not for himself, yet for his order."

Let this fuffice as to the teftimonies of particular fathers of the church, though many more may be produced in that compass of time to which I have confined our prefent enquiry. And now (that no conviction might be wanting) I will fet down fome of the canons of the councils in thofe times, to the fame purpofe; whereby it will appear that epifcopacy, as diftinct from and fuperior to Prefbytery, was not only the judgment of the first glorious saints and martyrs of Chrift, but the current doctrine and government of the church, both Greek and Latin, in thofe carly ages of Chriftianity.

In the canons of the Apostles, the distinction of Bishop, Prefbyter, and Deacon, is fo frequent, that it is almoft in vain to give

citations. The first and fecond canons fhew the difference to be obferved in the ordaining of them.

"Let a Bifhop be confecrated by two or three Bishops.

"Let a Prefbyter and Deacon be ordained by one Bishop." See the fame diftinction of thefe orders, can. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 17, 18, 25, 27, 28, 29, 32, 33, 36, 42, 44, 45, 51, 52, 53, 63, 68, 69, 70, 83. Can. 15, fhews the jurifdiction of the Bishops over the Prefbyters and Deacons.

"If any Prefbyter or Deacon, or any of the clerical order, fhall leave his own parith, and go to another, without the Bishop's leave, he fhall officiate no longer, especially if he obey not the Bifhop, when he exhorts him to return, perfifting in his infolence and diforderly behaviour, but he fhall be reduced there to communicate only as a layman.”

And can. 31, " If any Prefbyter, defpifing his own Bishop, fhall gather congregations apart, and erect another altar, his Bishop not being convict of wickednefs or irreligion, let him be deposed as an ambitious perfon, for he is a tyrant; as likewife fuch other clergy, and as many as thall join with him; but the laymen fhall be excommunicated: but let this be after the firft, fecond, and third admonition of the Bishop."

Can. 39. "Let the Prefbyters and Deacons do nothing without the confent of the Bifhop; for it is he to whom the people of the Lord are committed, and from whom an account of their fouls will be required."

Can. 41. "We ordain the Bishop to have power over the goods of the church-And to adminifter to thofe who want by the hands of the Prefbyters and Deacons."

Can. 55. If any clergyman fhall reproach his Bishop, let him be depofed, for "thou fhalt not fpeak evil of the ruler of "the people."

After the canons of the Apoftles, I produce next a great council of eighty-feven Bifhops, held at Carthage, in the year of Chrift 256, under St. Cyprian, Archbishop of that place, which is publifhed in St. Cyprian's works before quoted, p. 229, where he tells us,

"That befides the Bishops, there met there both Presbyters and Deacons, and great numbers of the laity.”

The council of Eliberis in Spain about the year of Chrift 305,
18 and 19.
"Bifhops, Prefbyters and Deacons are named

cap.

diftinct." And in c. 32, "Prefbyters and Deacons are forbid to give the communion to those who had grievously offended, without the command of the Bishop."

C. 75. "Of thofe who fhall falfly accufe à Bishop, Prefbyter,

or Deacon."

C. 77. It is ordained that those who are baptized by a Deacon, without the Bishop or Prefbyter, fhall afterwards be confirmed by the Bishop."

The council of Arles in France, about the year of Chrift 309, c. 18, It is ordained that the Deacons fhould be subject to the Prefbyters. And c. 19.

"That the Prefbyters fhould be fubjcct to their Bishop, and do nothing without his confent."

The council of Ancyra, A. D. 315, c. 2, and 8, having prohibited thofe Prefbyters and Deacons who had, in times of perfecution, offered to idols, from the execution of their office, fays, "That notwithstanding the Bishop may dispense with them, if he fees their repentance fincere; for that this power is lodged in the Bishop."

The council of Laodicea, A. D. 321, can. 41, "That no clergyman ought to travel without the confent of his Bishop." Can. 56. "That the Presbyters ought not to go into the church, and fit in their stalls, till the Bishop come, and to go in with the Bishop."

The firft and great council of Nice, A. D. 325, can. 16, "That if any Prefbyters or Deacons leave their own churches, they ought not to be received into another church: and that if shall ordain such in his church as belong to another, without the consent of his proper Bishop, let fuch ordination be void.”

any

The council of Gangra, A. D. 326, can. 6. "If any have private meetings out of the church, without their Prefbyter, let them be anathematized by the fentence of the Bishop."

Can. 7. "If any will take or give of the fruits offered to the church, out of the church, without leave of the Bishop, let him be anathema."

The council of Antioch, A. D. 341, can. 3. "If any Prefbyter or Deacon, leaving his own parifh, fhall go to others, and refuse to return when his own Bishop shall fummon him, let him be depofed."

Can. 4. "If any Bishop being depofed by a fynod, or a Pref byter or Deacon being depofed by his own proper Bishop, fhall