were also present five bishops, that, upon settled advice, it might be with consent of all determined what should be done about their persons." Thus far St. Cyprian. Wherein it may be peradventure, demanded, whether he and other bishops did thus proceed with advice of their presbyters in all such public affairs of the church, as being thereunto bound by ecclesiastical canons, or else that they voluntarily so did, because they judged it in discretion as then most convenient. Surely the words of Cyprian are plain, that of his own accord Cypr. he chose this way of proceeding. "Unto that (saith he) which Ep. 93. Donatus, and Fortunatus, and Novatus, and Gordius, our com-presbyters, have written, I could by myself alone make no reason, forasmuch as at the very first entrance into my bishoprick I resolutely determined not to do any thing of mine own private judgment, without your counsel, and the people's consent." The reason whereof he rendereth in the same epistle, saying, "When by the grace of God myself shall come unto you (for St. Cyprian was now in exile), of things which either have been or must be done we will consider, sicut honor mutuus poscit, as the law of courtesy which one doth owe to another of us requireth." And to this very mark doth St. Jerome evermore aim, in telling bishops, that presbyters were at the first their equals; that, in some churches, for a long time no bishop was made, but only such as the presbyters did choose out amongst themselves, and therefore no cause why the bishop should disdain to consult with them, and in weighty affairs of the church to use their advice ; sometime to countenance their own actions; or to repress the boldness of proud and insolent spirits, that which bishops had in themselves sufficient authority and power to have done, notwithstanding they would not do alone, but craved therein the aid and assistance of other bishops, as in the case of those Novatian heretics, before alleged, Cyprian himself did. And in Cyprian we find of others the like practice. Cypr. Rogatian, a bishop, having been used contumeliously by a Ep. 38. deacon of his own church, wrote thereof his complaint unto Cyprian and other bishops. In which case their answer was, "That although in his own cause he did of humility rather shew his grievance, than himself take revenge, which by the rigour of his apostolical office, and the authority of his chair, he might have presently done, without any farther delay :" yet if the party should do again, as before their judgments were, "fun

garis circa eum potestate honoris tui, et eum vel deponas vel abstineas;-use on him that power which the honour of thy place giveth thee, either to depose him, or exclude him from access unto holy things." The bishop, for his assistance and ease, had under him, to guide and direct deacons in their charge, his archdeacon: so termed in respect of care over deacons, albeit himself were not deacon, but presbyter. For the guidance of presbyters in their function, the bishop had likewise under him one of the selfsame order with them, but above them in authority, one whom the ancients termed usually an arch-presbyter, we at this day name him dean. For, most certain truth it is, that churches cathedral, and the bishops of them, are as glasses, wherein the face and very countenance of apostolical antiquity remaineth even as yet to be seen, notwithstanding the alterations which tract of time and the course of the world hath brought. For defence and maintenance of them we are most earnestly bound to strive, even as the Jews were for their temple and the high-priest of God therein: the overthrow and ruin of the one, if ever the sacrilegious avarice of atheists should prevail so far, which God of his infinite mercy forbid, ought no otherwise to move us than the people of God were moved, when having beheld the sack and combustion of his sanctuary in most lamentable manner flaming before their eyes, they uttered from the bottom of their grieved spirits, those voices of doleful supplicaPsal. cxli. tion, "Exsurge, Domine, et miserearis Sion, servi tui diligunt lapides ejus, pulveris ejus miseret eos."

How far the power of bishops hath reached from the beginning

VIII. How far the power which bishops had did reach, what number of persons was subject unto them at the first, and how large their territories were, it is not for the question we have in hand a thing very greatly material to know. For in respect if we prove that bishops have lawfully of old ruled over other Iministers, it is enough, how few soever those ministers have been, how small soever the circuit of place which hath contained them. Yet hereof somewhat, to the end we may so far forth illustrate church antiquities. A law imperial there is, which sheweth that there was great care had to provide for every Christian city a bishop, as near as might be," and

of territory, or local compass.

a Such a one was that Peter whom Cassiodor, writing the life of Chrysostom, doth call the archpresbyter of the church of Alexandria, under Theophilus at that, time bishop.

b Εκάστη πόλις ίδιου ἐπίσκοπον ἐχέτω· καὶ καν διὰ θείας ἀντιγραφῆς, τολμήσῃ τις ἀφελέσθαι πόλιν τοῦ ἰδίου ἐπισκόπου ἢ τῆς περιοίκιδος αὐτῆς ἢ τινὸς ἄλλου δικαίου, γυμνοῦται

that each city had some territory belonging unto it, which territory was also under the bishop of the same city; that because it was not universally thus, but in some countries one bishop had subject unto him many cities and their territories, the law which provided for establishment of the other orders, should not prejudice those churches wherein this contrary custom had before prevailed. Unto the bishop of every such city, not only the presbyters of the same city, but also of the territory thereunto belonging, were from the first beginning subject. For we must note, that when as yet there were in cities no parish churches, but only colleges or presbyters under their bishop's regiment, yet smaller congregations and churches there were even then abroad, in which churches there was but some one only presbyter to perform among them divine duties. Towns and villages abroad receiving faith of Christ from cities whereunto they were adjacent, did as spiritual and heavenly colonies, by their subjection, honour those ancient mother churches out of which they grew. And in the Christian cities themselves, when the mighty increase of believers made it necessary to have them divided into certain several companies, and over every of those companies one only pastor to be appointed for the ministry of holy things; between the first, and the rest after it, there could not be but a natural inequality, even as between the temple and synagogues in Jerusalem. The clergy of cities were termed urbici, to shew a difference between them and the clergies of towns, of villages, of castles abroad. And how many soever these Cypr. parishes or congregations were in number, which did depend Ep. 25. on any one principal city-church, unto the bishop of that one church they and their several sole presbyters were all subject.

advers.

For if so be, as some imagine, every petty congregation or Hieron. hamlet had had his own particular bishop, what sense could Lucifer. there be in those words of Jerome concerning castles, villages, and other places abroad, which having only presbyters to teach them, and to minister unto them the sacraments, were resorted unto by bishops for the administration of that where

τῶν ὄντων καὶ ἀτιμοῦται. Εξήρηται δὲ ἡ τομέων Σκυθίας πόλις. Ὁ γὰρ ἐπίσκοπος αὐτῆς καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προνοεῖ. Καὶ ἡ Λεοντόπολις Ισαυρίας ὑπὸ τὸν ἐπίσκοπον ἐστὶν Ἰσαυροπόλεος. Besides, Cypr. Ep. 52. Cum jampridem per omnes provincias et per urbes singulas ordinarii sunt episcopi.

2 Ubi ecclesiastici ordinis non est consessus, et offert et tingit sacerdos qui est ibi solus. Tert. exhort. ad castit.

with their presbyters were not licensed to meddle. To note a difference of that one church where the bishop hath his seat, and the rest which depend upon it, that one hath usually been termed cathedral, according to the same sense wherein Ignatius, speaking of the church of Antioch, termeth Cypr. it his throne; and Cyprian making mention of Evaristus, Ep. 49. who had been bishop, and was now deposed, termeth him cathedræ extorrem, one that was thrust besides his chair. The church where the bishop is set with his college of presbyters about him we call a see; the local compass of his authority we term a diocess. Unto a bishop within the compass of his own both see and diocess, it hath by right of his place evermore appertained to ordain presbyters," to make deacons, and with judgment to dispose of all things of weight. The apostle St. Paul had episcopal authority, but so at large, that we cannot assign unto him any one certain diocess. His b positive orders and constitutions, churches every where did 2 Cor. obey. Yea, "a charge and a care (saith he) I have even of xi. 8. all the churches." The walks of Titus and Timothy were li

mited within the bounds of a narrow precinct. As for other bishops, that which Chrysostom hath concerning them, if they be evil, could not possibly agree unto them, unless their authority had reached farther than to some one only congreChrys. gation. "The danger being so great, as it is, to him that in 1. ad scandalizeth one soul, what shall he (saith Chrysostom,

Tit.

speaking of a bishop), what shall he deserve, by whom so many souls, yea, even whole cities and people, men, women, and children, citizens, peasants, inhabitants, both of his own city, and of other towns subject unto it, are offended?” A thing so unusual it was for a bishop not to have ample jurisdiction, that Theophilus, patriarch of Alexandria, for making one a bishop of a small town, is noted a proud despiser of the commendable orders of the church with this censure, "Such novelties Theophilus presumed every where to bePallad. gin, taking upon him, as it had been another Moses." Whereby is discovered also their error, who think, that such as in ecclesiastical writings they find termed chorepiscopos, were the same in the country which the bishop was in the city: whereas the old chorepiscopi are they that were appointed

in Vita

Chrys.

4 Con. Antioch. cap. 9. ̓Ακλήτους δὲ ἐπισκόπους ὑπὲς διοίκησιν μὴ ἐπιβαίνειν οὐδὲ χειρο τονίᾳ ἤ τισιν ἄλλαις οἰκονομίαις ἐκκλησιαστικαῖς· Conc. Const. cap. 2. Τοῦτο γὰρ πρότερον δια τοὺς διωγμοὺς ἐγένετο ἀδιαφόρως. Socr. lib. v. cap. 8.

bAs I have ordained in the churches of Galatia, the same do ye also. 1 Cor. xvi.

Antioch.

c. 10.

of the bishops to have, as his vicegerents, some oversight of those churches abroad, which were subject unto his see: in which churches they had also power to make sub-deacons readers, and such-like petty church-officers. With which power so stinted, they not contenting themselves, but adventuring at the length to ordain even deacons and presbyters also, as the bishop himself did, their presumption herein was controlled and stayed by the ancient edict of councils. For example, that of Antioch, "It hath seemed Concil. good to the holy synod, that in such towns and countries as are called chorepiscopi do know their limits, and govern the churches under them, contenting themselves with the charge thereof, and with authority to make readers, sub-deacons, exorcists, and to be leaders or guiders of them; but not to meddle with the ordination either of a presbyter or of a deacon, without the bishop of that city, whereunto the chorepiscopos and his territory also is subject." The same synod appointed likewise that those chorepiscopi shall be made by none but the bishop of that city under which they are. Much might hereunto be added, if it were farther needful to prove, that the local compass of a bishop's authority and power was never so straitly listed, as some would have the world to imagine. But to go forward; degrees of these are, and have been of old, even amongst bishops also themselves; one sort of bishops being superiors unto presbyters only, another sort having pre-eminence also above bishops. It cometh here to be considered in what respect inequality of bishops was thought at the first a thing expedient for the church, and what odds there hath been between them, by how much the power of one hath been larger, higher, and greater, than that of another. Touching the causes for which it hath been esteemed meet that bishops themselves should not every way be equals; they are the same for which the wisdom both of God and man hath evermore approved it as most requisite, that where many governors must of necessity concur, for the ordering of the same affairs, of what nature soever they be, one should have some kind of sway or stroke more than all the residue. For where number is, there must be order, or else of force there will be confusion. Let there be divers agents, of whom each hath his private inducements with resolute purpose to follow them (as each may have); unless in this case some had pre-eminence above the rest, a chance