his Deacon Pontius Euâ—ebius and St. Ierome Thus our Holy Martyr tells us That Cornelius had made his Advances gradually through all the inferior Stations and so no doubt had been a Presbyter before he was a Bishop And yet we find when he was Promoted to the See of Rome he was Ordained by 16 Bisâ—â—ps Thus we find also in the Promotion of Sabinus to the Bishoprick from which Basilides had fallen that he was Ordained by the Imposition of the Hands of the Bishops who were then present at his Election Thus Fortunatus Achimnius Optatus Privationus Donatulus and Fâ—ix 6 Bishops Ordained a Bishop at Capsis Thus Heraclus was first a Presbyter under Demetrius in the Church of Alexandria and then succeeded to him in the Episcopal Chair Dionysius was first a Presbyter under Heraclas and then succeeded to him And Maximus who had been a Presbyter under him succeeded to Dionysius And before all these some 70 Years before St. Cyprian's time Irenaeus was first a Presbyter under Photinus and afterwards his Successor in the Bishoprick of Lions Nor is it to be doubted that each of these was Raised to the Episcopal Dignity by a new Ordinatioâ— The first of the Canons commonly called Apostolical which requires That a Bishop be Ordained by two or three Bishops was doubtless all along observed Nay this Necessity of a new Ordination for Raising One to the Episcopal Power was so Notorious and Received then that the Schismaticks themselves believed it indispensible And therefore Novatianus thô formerly a Presbyter as Cornelius tells expresly in that so often cited Epistle to Fabius when he Rival'd it with Cornelius for the Chair of Rome that he might have the shew at least of a Canonical Ordination he got three simple inconsiderate Bishops to come to the City upon pretence of Consulting with other Bishops about setling the Commotions of the Church And having them once in his Clutches he shut them up under Lock and Key till they were put in a scandalous Disorder and then forced them to give him the Episcopal Mission by an imaginary and vain Imposition of Hands as Cornelius words it Thus also when Fortunatus One of the Five Presbyters who joyned with the Schismatical Felicissumus against St. Cyprian tâ—â—ned bold to set up as an Anti-Bishop at Carthage He was Ordained by Five false Bishops And now Sir by this Accounâ— I think we have our Author's Definition of a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time fairly routed a second time For How could the Maxim of but One Bishop at once in a Church hold if that Bishop was nothing but a single Presbyter The Church of Rome was but One Church so was the Church of Carthage And yet in each of these Churches there were many single Presbyters Again If a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time was no more than a single Presbyter in the Presbyterian Sense what needed so much work about him Why e. g. convene all the Presbyters of a Province such as Africa or Numidia was for the Election and Ordination of a single Presbyter in Carthage where there were Presbyters more than enough to have performed all the Business What needed the Church of Rome to make such work about supplying such a Vacancy as was there before Cornelius was Promoted Why a Convention of Sixteen Neighbouring Bishops to give him Holy Orders Might not the Forty Six who lived in Rome have served the turn Might not these Forty Six I say have filled Fabianus his Room with far greater Ease and Expedition If they made such work and had such Difficulties as we find they had about a Bishop in setling One single Brother Presbyter when according to our Author's Principles they had the full Power of doing it what had become of them if Thirty nay Twenty nay Ten of the Forty six had all died in one Year Sure they had never got so many Vacancies filled And then Were not Cornelius and Novatianus Presbyters of Rome before the former was the Trâ—e and the latter the False Bishop of that City If so what need of a new Election and a new Ordination for making them Presbyters of a Church of which they were Presbyters already Had it not been pretty pleasant in such a grave serious persecuted State of the Church to have seen two eminent Men already Presbyters of Rome making so much work about being made Presbyters of Rome And all the Clergy and Christians of Rome nay sooner or later of all the Christian World engaged in the Quarrel What had this been other than the very Mystery of Ridiculousness But this is not all The Premisses will as little allow him to have been a Presbyterian Moderator For to what purpose so much ado about the Establishment of a meer Moderator of a Presbytery Why so much stress laid upon only one Moderator in a City Why no Canonical Vacancy of his Moderatorial Chair unless in the case of Death Cession or Forfeiture Sure if they had then understood all the Exigencies and Analogies of Parity they would not have been so much in love with a constant Moderator no they would have judged him highly inconvenient and by all means to be shunned If he had been imposed on the Meeting it had been an Encroachment on their Intrinsick Power and so absolutely unlawful and Prelacy And thò Chosen by themselves fatal as having a violent Tendency to Lordly Prelacy And therefore they could never have yielded to have One with a Good Conscience Again How often did the Presbytery of Rome meet in the Interval between Fabianus his Death and Cornelius his Promotion How many excellent Epistles did they write to the Neighbouring Bishops and Churches and these about the most weighty and important Matters during that Vacancy They wrote that which is the Eighth in Number amongst St. Cyprian's Epistles to the Carthaginian Clergy and at the same time One to St. Cyprian then in his Retirement which is lost They wrote that notable Epistle which is the Thirtieth in Number in which they not only mention other of their Epistles which they had wrote to St. Cyprian and which are not now extant but also Epistles one or more which they had sent to Sicily They wrote also that considerable Epistle which is in Number the Thirty sixth It is not to be doubted that they wrote many more How many Meetings and Consultations had they during these Sixteen Months about the Affairs of the Church and particularly the Case of the Lapsi which was then so much agitated Is it probable that they wanted a Moderator a Mouth of their Meeting One to keep Order in the manner and managing of the Affairs were brought before them all that time and in all those Meetings How could they without one handle Matters with Order and Decency And what was there to hinder them from having one if they had a mind for him Might they not have chosen one as safely as they met
can refer it to our Author himself to Determine Whether the High Priest of the Iews bore no higher Character than that of a single Presbyter or a Presbyterian Moderator And so I proceed to another Head of Arguments which shall be FOURTHLY To give you in a more particular Detail some of the Branches of the Episcopal Prerogative in St. Cyprian's time And I think I shall do enough for my purpose if I shall prove these three Things I. That there were several considerable Acts of Power relating to the Government and Discipline of the Church which belonged solely to the Bishop's several Powers lodged in his Person which he could manage by himself and without the Concurrence of any other Church-Governour II. That in every Thing relating to the Government and Discipline of the Church he had a Negative over all the other Church-Governours within his District And III. That all the other Clergy-men within his District Presbyters as well as others were subject to his Authority and obnoxious to his Discipline and Jurisdiction I. I say there were several considerable Acts of Power relating to the Government and Discipline of the Church which belonged solely to the Bishop several Powers lodged in his Person which he could manage by himself and without the Concurrence of any other Church-Governour Take these for a Sample And First He had the sole Power of Confirmation of imposing Hands on Christians for the Reception of the Holy-Ghost after Baptism For this we have St. Cyprian's most express Testimony in his Epistle to Iubaianus where he tells It was the Custom to offer such as were Baptized to the Bishops that by their Prayers and the laying on of their Hands they might receive the Holy-Ghost and be Consummated by the Sign of our Lord i. e. by the Sign of the Cross as I take it And he expresly founds this Practice on the Paterm of St. Pater and St. Iohn mentiond Acts 8. 14. c. Firmilian is as express in his Epistle to Cyprian saying in plain Lanugage That the Bishops who Govern the Church possess the Power of Baptism Confirmation and Ordination 'T is true he calls them Majores Natu Elder But that he meant Bishops as distinguished from Presbyters cannot be called into Question by any Man who reads the whole Epistle and considers his Stile all along and withal considers what a peculiar Interest by the Principles of these Times the Bishop had in these three Acts he names But whatever groundless Altercations there may be about his Testimony as there can be none about St. Cprian's so neither can there by any shadow of Pretext for any about Cornelius's who in his Epistle to Fabius so often mentioned before makes it an Argument of Novatianus his Incapacity of being a Bishop that thô he was Baptized yet he was not Confirmed by the Bishop Secondly He had the sole Power of Ordination and that of whatsoever Clergy-men within his District Ordinations could not be performed without him but he could perform them Regularly without the Concurrence of any other Church-Officer This has been so frequently and so fully proved by Learned Men that I need not insist much on it Forbearing therefore to adduce the Testimonies of such as lived after St. Cyprian's time such as Ambrose Ierom Chrysostom c. I shall confine my self to St. Cyprian and his Contemporaries Toi begin with St. Cyprian 'T is true so humble and condescending he was That when he was made Bishop he resolved with himself to do nothing by himself concerning the Publick Affairs of the Church without consulting not only his Clergy but his People I call this his own free and voluntary Condescention It wa a thing he was not bound to do by any Divine Prescript or any Apostolical Tradition or any Ecclesiastical Constitution His very Words import so much which you may see on the Margin And yet for all that we find him not only in extraordinary Junctures Ordaining without asking the Consent of his Clergy or People but still insisting on it as the Right of all Bishops and particularly his own to Promote and Ordain Clergy-men of whatsoever Rank by himself and without any Concurrence Thus In his 38th Epistle having Ordained Aurelius a Lector he acquaints his Presbyters and Deacons with it from the Place of his Retirement Now consider how he begins his Letter In all Clerical Ordinations most dear Brethren says he I used to Consult you beforehand and to examine the Manners and Merits of every one with common Advice And then he proceeds to tell them How that notwithstanding that was his ordinary Method a Rule he had observed for the most part yet for good Reasons he had not observed it in that Instance In which Testimony we have these Things evident 1. That his Power was the same as to all Ordinations whether of Presbyters or others For he speaks of them all indefinitely In Clericis Ordinationibus 2. That he used only to ask the Counsel and Advice of his Clergy about the Manners and Merits of the Person he was to Ordain but not their Concurrence in the Act of Ordination not one word of that On the contrary That they used not to Concurr fairly imported in the very Instance of Aurelius 3. That it was intirely of his own Easiness and Condescension that he Consulted them in the Matter He USED to do it but needed not have done it He did it not in that very same Case Which is a demonstration of the Truth of what I said before viz. That his Resolutioâ— which he had made when he entred to his Bishoprick was from his own Choice and absolutely Free and Voluntary We have another remarkable Testimony to the same purpose in his 41st Epistle where he tells that Because of his Absence from Carthage he had given a Deputation to â—aldnius and Herculanus two Bishops and to Râ—gatianâ—s and Numidicus two of his Presbyters to examine the Ages Qualifications and Mâ—its of some in Carthage that he whose Province it was to promote Men to Ecclesiastical Offices might be well informed about them and Promote none but such as were Meek Humble and Worthy This I say is a most remarkable Testimony for our present Purpose for he not only speaks indefinitely of all Ranks or Orders without making Exceptions but he speaks of himself in the Singular Number as having the Power of Promoting them and he founds that Power and appropriates it to himself upon his having the Care of the Church and her Government committed to him We have a third Testimony as pregnant as any of the former in his 72d Epistle written to Stephen Bishop of Rome For representing to him what the Resolution of the African Bishops were concerning such Presbyters and Deacons as should return from a State of Schism to the Communion of the Church he discourses thus By common Consent and Aâ—thority Dear Brother we tell you further That if any Presbyters or Deacons who
have either been Ordained before in the Catholick Church and have afterwards turned Perfsidious and Rebellious against the Church or have been Promoted by a Profane Ordination in a State of Schism by FALSE BISHOPS and Anti-Christs against our Lord's Institution that such if they shall return shall only be admitted to Lay-Communion c. By which Testimony you may clearly see 1. That all Ordinations of Presbyters as well as Deacons were performed by Bishops by True Bishoâ—â— in the Catholick Church and by False Bishops in a State of Schism 2. That to Ordain Presbyters and Deacons was so much and so acknowledged by the Bishop's Work and peculiar to him that herein even Schismaticks themselves oberved the Common Rule They found their Ordinations were indispensibly to be performed by Bishops that they might not be Obnoxious to the Charge of Invalidity So clear and full is St. Cyprian on this Head And not only he but Firmilian as I have cited him already Nay further yet Our Martyr's Practice was always suitable and correspondent to these Principles He not only Ordained Aurelius a Lector as I have shewed without either the Consent or Concurrence of his Clergy but also Saturus a Lector and Optatus a Sub-Deacon Epst. 29. and Celerinus a Lector Ep. 39. In which we have also a most considerable Evidence of the Bishops Power in Ordinations in St. Cyprian's Discourse concerning Aurelius and Celerinus For there he tells his Presbyters Deacons and all his People and tell them in an Authoritative Stile in the Stile by which Superiours used to signifie their Will and Pleasure to their Subjects with a Be it known to you He tells them I say That tho he had only Ordained these two Lectors for the time because they were but young yet he had designed them for the Presbyterate and to sit with him as soon as their Years would allow of it And what can be more pat to this purpose than that uncontrolable Account we have of Novatianus his Promotion to the Presbyterate which we have in that so often mentioned Epistle written by Cornelius to Fabius of Aâ—tioch There he tells how Novatianus was Ordained a Presbyter meerly by the Favour of the then Bishop of Rome That all the Clergy and many of the People opposed it as being Unlawful considering that he had been Baptized while on the Bed of Sickness And that after much work the Bishop prevailed and Ordained him promising that he would not make a Precedent of it I refer you to the Testimony which I have transcribed faithfully on the Margin Consider it and tell me if any thing can be more clear than that the Bishop then had the sole Power of Ordination Neither do we read in all St. Cyprian's Works or in any Monuments of those Times of any Concurrence of Presbyters with Bishops in any Ordinations and far less that ever Presbyters Ordain'd without a Bishop 'T is true we read in St. Cyprian's 52d Epistle that Novatus made Felicissimus a Deacon And I read that several Learned Men understand it so as if he had Ordained him And Bloâ—del particularly because Novatus was nothing but a Presbyter conâ—ludes that this was a notable Instance of the Power of Presbyters in Ordinations But when one reads the whole Passage as St. Cyprian hath it and ponders all Things duly he cannot but think it strange that ever that Fancy should have been entertained For all that St. Cyprian says amounts to no more than this That Novatus turn'd a Schismatick in the time of Persecution and thereby became another Pâ—rsecution to the Church and that having thus given himself up to the Spirit of Schism he by his Faction and Ambition got Felicissimus made a Deacon without either St. Cyprian ' s knowledge or Allowance St Cyprian's Words I say do not import that Novatus Ordain'd Felicissimus They import no more than that Novatus his Ambition and Faction prevailed to get Felicissimus Ordain'd a Deacon thô himself did not Ordain him 'T is probable he was Ordained by some Neighbouring Bishop St. Cyprian being then in his Secession And 't is as evident as any thing can be made from what immediately follows that St. Cyprian designed them for no more For he goes on and tells in that same Breath That Novatus having done so and so at Carthage went next to Rome and attempted just the like things there only with this difference That as Rome by itâ—s Greatness had the Preâ—edency of Carthage so he attempted greater Wickedness at Rome than at Carthage For he says Cyprian who had made a Deacon at Carthage against the Church made a Bishop at Rome meaning Novatianus Now 't is certain that not Novatus but Three Bishops Ordained Novatianus and by consequence that St. Cyprian never meant that Novatus Ordain'd Felicissiâ—us This is irreâ—ragable But then suppose the worst Suppose Novatus had really Ordained Felicissimus what stress is to be laid on the Example of a Schismatick Especially when what he did was done Schismatically Antonianus asked of St. Cyprian what was Novatianus his Heresie And Cyprian answered It was no matter what he taught seeing he taught in Schism And may we not say with the same Reason That it matters not what Novatus did seeing what he did was done in Schism One Thing indeed we learn from this Matter and that is another Argument of the Bishop's peculiar Interest in the matter of Ordination For St. Cyprian most plainly imputes it to Schism that without his Allowance Novatus should have presumed to have got Felicissimus Ordained a Deacon One Word more The Bishops being thus possessed of the sole Power of Ordination in St. Cyprian's time and his Practising suitably was exactly agreeable to the Second of the Canons commonly called of the Apostles which is Let a Presbyter be Ordained by One Bishop as likewise a Deacon and the rest of the Clergy A Canon without doubt universally received then as Beveregius has fully proved and a Canon highly agreeable with the then current Principles which I have insisted on already viz. That a Bishop was the Principle of Unity and Supreme Ecclesiastical Magistrate within his District For what can be more suitable to or rather more necessary by all the Fundamental Rules of Society than that it should belong to the Supreme Power wherever it is lodged to promote and give Commissions to all Inferiour Officers 'T is one of the Rights of Majesty and one as intrinsick and unalâ—enable or incommunicable as any 'T is true a good many Years after St. Cyprian's time it was appointed by the 〈◊〉 That Presbyters should concurr with the Bishop in the Ordination of Presbyters But then I say it was many Years after St. Cyprian's time and it was for new emergent Reasons That Ordinations might be performed more deliberately or with the greater Solemnity or so but 't is evident that nothing of the substantial Validity of the Orders were to depend upon it And so much at
all conscience it ought it being scarcely possible to prove any thing of this Nature more demonstratively then be pleased only to consider the necessary Connexion that is betwixt this Principle and that which I am next to prove and that is SECONDLY That by the Principles of those Times a Bishop Cononically Promoted was Supreme in his Church immediately subject to Iesus Christ independent on any unaccountable to any Earthly Ecclesiastical Superiour There was no Universal Bishop then under Iesus Christ who might be the Supreme visible Head of the Catholick visiâ—le Church There was indeed an Universal Bishoprick but it was not holden by any One single Person There was an Unus Episcopatus One Episcopacy One Episcopal Office One Bishoprick but it was divided into many Parts and every Bishop had his shâ—re of it assigned him to Rule and Govern with the Plenitude of the Episcopal Authority There was One Church all the World over divided into many Members and there was One Episcopacy dâ—ffused in proportion to that One Church by the Harmonious Numerâ—sity of many Bishops Or if you would have it in other words the One Catholick Church was divided into many Precincts Districts or Diocesses call them as you will Each of those Districtâ— had its singular Bishop and that Bishop within that District had the Supreme Power He was subordinate to none but the Great Bishop of Souls Iesus Christ the only Universal Bishop of the Universal Church He was independent on and stood collateral with all other Bishops There 's nothing more fully or more plainly or more frequently insisted on by St. Cyprian than this Great Principle I shall only give you a short view of it from him and his Contemporaries And I. He lays the Foundation of it in the Parity which our Lord instituted amongst his Apostles Christ says he gave Equal Power to all his Apostles when he said As my Father hath sent me even so I send you Receive ye the Holy-Ghost c. And again The rest of the Apostles were the same that St. Peter was endued with an Equality of Power and Honour Now St. Cyprian on all occasions makes Bishops Successors to the Apostles as perchance I may prove fully hereafter Thus I say he founds the Equality of Bishops and by consequence every Bishop's Supremacy within his own Diocess And agreeably he Reasons most frequently I shall only give you a few Instances 2. Then in that excellent Epistle to Antonianus discoursing concerning the Case of the Lapsed and shewing how upon former Occasions different Bishops had taken different Measures about restoring Penitents to the Peace of the Church he concludes with this General Rule That every Bishop so long as he maintains the Bond of Concord and preserves Catholick Unity has Power to order the Affairs of his own Church as he shall be accountable to God Plainly importing that no Bishop can give Laws to another or call him to an Account for his Management To the same purpose is the conclusion of his Epistle to Iubaianus about the Baptism of Hereticks and Schismaticks These Things most dear Brother says he I have written to you as I was able neither prescribing to nor imposing on any Man seeing every Bishop hath full Power to do as he judges most fitting c. The same way he concludes his Epistle to Magnus concerning that same Case of Baptism performed by Hereticks To the same purpose is the whole Strain of his Epistle to Florentius Pupianus And what can be more clear or full than his excellent Discourse at the opening of the Council of Carthage Anno 256 More than Eighty Bishops met to determine concerning that same matter of Baptism administred by Hereticks or Schismaticks St. Cyprian was Praeses and having briefly represented to them the Occasion of their Meeting he spoke to them thus it remains now that each of us speak his sense freely judging no Man refusing our Communion to no Man thô he should dissent from us For none of us costitutes himself Bishop of Bishops nor forces his Collegues upon a necessity of Obeying by a Tyrannical Terror seeing every Bishop is intirely Master of his own Resolutions and can no more he judged by others than he can judge others But we all expect the Judgment of our Lord Iesus Christ who alone hath Power of making us Governours of his Church and calling us to an Account for our Administrations 3. Neither did the Principle hold only in respect of this or the other Bishop but all without Exception even the Bishop of Rome stood upon a Level And for this we have as pregnant Proof as possibly can be desired For when the Schismatical Party at Carthage set up Fortunatus as an Anti-Bishop and thereupon sent some of their Partisans to Rome toi inform Cornelius of their Proceedings and justifie them to him Cyprian wrote to him also and thus Reasoned the Case with him To what Purpose was it for them to go to Rome to tell you that they had set up a false Bishop against the Bishops Either they continue in their Wickedness and are pleased with what they have done or they are Penitent land willing to return to the Churches Unity If the latter they know whither they may return For seeing it is determined by us all and withal 't is just and reasonable in it self That every one's Cause should be examined where the Crime was committed and seeing there is a Portion of Flock the Catholick Church assigned to every Bishop to be Governed by him as he shall be accountable to God our Subjects ought not to run about from Bishop to Bishop nor break the Harmonious Concord which is amonst Bishops by their subtle and fallacious Temerity But every Man's Cause ought there to be discussed where he may have Accusers and Witnesses of his Crime c. In which Reasoning we have these Things plain 1. That by St. Cyprian's Principles evey Bishop was judge of his own Subjects of all the Christians who lived within his District 2. That no Bishop no not the Bishop of Rome was Superior to another Bishop nor could receive Appeals from his Sentences And 3. That this Independency of Bishops this Unaccountableness of one Bishop to another as to his Superiour was founded on every Bishop's having his Portion of the Flock assigned to him to be Ruled and Governed by him as he should answer to God i. e. upon his visible Supremacy in his own Church his being immediately Subordinate to God only To the same purpose he writes to Stephen Bishop of Rome also For having told him his Mind freely concerning those who should return from a State of Schism to the Unity of the Church how they ought to be Treated and how Recceived c. he concludes thus We know that some are tenacious and unwilling to alter what they have once determined and that they will needs retain some Methods peculiar to themselves but still with
over Every Bishop of the Christian Church living at how great a distance soever was bound to Communicate his Dutiful Subjects duly attested by him and to Excommunicate his Excommunicates Thus for Instance Cornelius Bishop of Rome rejected Felicissimus and all his Retainers and Fortunatus and all his and would not grant them his Communion because Excommunicated by St. Cyprian And Cyprian rejected Novatianus and all his Party because not in Communion with Cornelius In short By the Laws of the College he that was Injurious Undutiful or Disobedient to his Bishop was such to all the Bishops on Earth He that set up an Altar against his Bishop's Altar set up his Altar against all the Altars of the whole College If a Bishop Deposed or Excommunicated any of his Presbyters or Deacons it was not lawful for any other Bishop to Receive him nor to Absolve him He was still to be reserved for that to his own Bishop so long as he lived He that was Reconciled to his Bishop whether he was of the Clergy or Laity and Restored by him to the Peace of the Church was thereby Restored to the Peace of all other Churches and by consequence of the Church Catholick And of this we have a remarkable Instance in St. Cyprian's time Therapius Bishop of Bulla in the Proconsular Province of Africa Absolved Victor who had been a Presbyter but had fallen in time of Persecution Prematurely and Uncanonically And yet by a Synod of Sixty six Bishops whereof Cyprian was One the Absolution was Ratified and Victor was allowed their Communion as we learn from their Synodical Epistle So Eminent and Considerable was a Bishop then as he stood related to the Catholick Church Let me only add one Thing more in pursuance of his Dignity as to this Relation and that is 7. That so long as Bishop continued a sound Member of the College all Informatory Consultatory Recommendatory Communicatory Congratulatory Apologetick Testimonial in a word all Letters concerning the Peace the Unity the Government the Discipline of the Church or the Concord the Correspondence the Harmony the Honour the Hazards or any other considerable Interest of the College were directed to him or received from him as having the Supreme Power of the Church which he Govâ—rn'd All the great Concerns of both the Catholick Church and the Episcopal College were in thâ—se Times transacted by Letters There was no possibility of General Councils then All that could be done was either to meet in Provincial Synods upon great Emergencies or if that could not be neither to transact Matters and bring them to a General Determination by particular Letters from Bishop to Bishop Provincial Synods were ordinarily kept twice a Year and by them in the ordinary Course all Matters of Moment were Determined and so by the Reciprocation of Synodical Letters Matters came sometimes to such a General Agreement and Determination as in the Result was fully Equivalent to the Definition of a General Council We have several Instances of such Transactions by Provincial Synods Thus in the Grand Case of the Lapsed in the time of the Decian Persecusion the Matter was so managed by Provincial Synods in Africa Rome Alexandria Antiâ—ch c. that at last as St. Cyprian tells us it was brought to this General Conclusion That the Lapsed should complete their Terms of Penance and should not be restored to the Peace of the Church before the Time appointed by the Canons unless it was in the case of Deadly Sickness Thus without doubt also that considerable Canon mentioned by St. Cyprian in the Synodical Epistle which is the 67th in Number amongst his Epistles viz. That the Lapsed however they might be restor'd to the Communion of the Church should never be received into Holy Orders And that other Canon mentioned by him also That no Clergy-man should be Tutor to Minors Thus also long before St. Cyprian the great Controversie concerning the Observation of Easter was managed in many Synods as Eusebius tells us And a few Years after his Martyrdom the Case of Paulus Samosatenus These Instances are only for a Sample When Provincial Synods could not be kept or emergent Matters of Consequence could not be conveniently determin'd in them then Recourse was had to the only remaining Method viz. particular Letters from Bishop to Bishop And to make this Method both sure and effectual all possible Pains was taken It was necessary that each Bishop should sign his Letter and send it not by every common Carrier but by a Clergy-man In short They had such Marks that it was not easie if possible to Counterfeit them And the Bishop who received it was bound by the Laws of the College to transmit it for his Share to the rest of the Members And so it went through and the whole College was acquainted with the Accident the Case the Controversie whatever it was that had Emerged we have many Instances and Evidences of this Method and Diligence in St. Cyprian's Writings Thus e. g. When Caldonius writes to Cyprian concerning some Lapsed within his District Cyprian returns him an Answer telling him He had written his Mind to that purpose already and so sends him Copies of five Epistles concerning the Case requiring him to transmit them to as many Bishops as he could adding this as the Reason That One Course One Resolution might be kept by all the College And so we find that the Letters written by him about that Controversie were trasmitted from hand to hand till they were dispersed all the World over Thus I say sometimes the greatest Affairs of the Church were managed And 't is plain this Method was every was Equivalent if not Preferable to a General Council So that the Christian Church might have still subsisted and its Unity been provided for and preserved in all Ages without such Councils as it was effectually during the First Three Centuries Now that which I am principally concern'd for in all this Matter is That all these Circular Letters of whatsoever Nature relating either to the great Interests of the Catholick Church or of the Episcopal College were regularly directed only to the Bishops as being the Heads and Principles of Unity to their respective Churches as well as written and sent by those of the same Order And we have a notable Account of this in St. Cyprian's 48th Epistle directed to Cornelius for there we learn That the Presbyters and Deacons of the Church of Adrumetum having received Cornelius's Communicatory Letters directed to Polycarpus their Bishop and seeing their Bishop was absent finding it necessary that they should return an Answer in his Name as having his presumed Allowance for it they wrote to Cornelius in the common Form acknowledging him as Bishop of Rome and subjoyning Polycarpus his Name to the Letter A clear Evidence That where there was a Bishop it behoved all the Letters that concerned the publick State of the Church to be subscribed
Presbyters acknowledging their Offences and humbly supplicating that they might be Pardoned and their Escapes forgotten How when all this was narrated to him He was pleased to Convocate the Presbytery How Maximus Urbanus Sidonius and Macarius being allowed to appear made their Acknowledgments and humble Addresses and then how after they were received in the Presbytery the whole matter was Communicated to the People and they again renewed their Acknowledgments before the People confessing as I shewed before viz. That they were convinced that Cornelius was chosen by the Omnipotent God and our Lord Iesus Christ to be Bishop of the most Holy Catholick Church and that they were not ignorant that as there was but One God One Christ our Saviour and One Holy-â—host so there ought to be only One Bishop in a Catholick Church Here I say was a Noble Instance of a Bishop's Power in Convocating his Presbyters at pleasure and managing the Affairs of the Church like a Chief Governour The whole Epistle is well worth perusing But I shall only desire you to take notice of one Thing by the way it is That Cornalius sought not the People's Consent for their Reception no he first received them again into the Communion of the Church and then acquainted the People with it I observe this because it is another Demonstration That what St. Cyprian determined from the beginning of his Episcopacy was meerly the effect of his own Choice and Arbitrary Condescension viz. To do nothing without his Peoples Consent This I say was not a Thing he was bound to do by the Rules of his Episcopacy for then Cornelius had been as much bound as he After these Persons were so solemnly Reconciled to the Church they themselves by a Letter gave an Account of it to St. Cyprian an Account I say which might bring more Light to the whole Matter if it needed any We are certain say they most dear Brother that you will rejoyce with us when you know that all Mistakes are forgotten and we are Reconciled to Cornelius OUR BISHOP and to all the Clergy to the Great Contentment and Good Liking of the whole Church But you may say Did not the Roman Presbytery Conveen during the Vacâ—â—cy after the Death of Fabianus And did not the Presbytery of Carthage meet frequently during the time of St. Cyprian's Secession How then can it be said That the Bishop had the sole Power of Convocating Presbyters I answer 'T is true it was so in both Cases But how To begin with the latter There was no Meeting of the Clergy at Carthage during St. Cyprian's Secession without his Authority And therefore we find when he retired he left a Delegated Power with his Presbyters and Deacons or an Allowance call it as you will to meet and manage the Affairs of the Church as occasion should require but still so as that they could do nothing of Moment without first Consulting him and nothing but what was of ordinary Incidence is Regulated by the Canons This we learn from many of his Epistles Thus in his Fifth Epistle directed to his Presbyters and Deacons Because he could not be present himself he required them Faithfully and Religiously to discharge both his Office and their own Which not only imports that they had distinct Offices from his but also in express Terms settles a Delegation on them He bespeaks them after the same manner in his 12th Epistle And more Authoritatively yet Ep. 14. where he not only Exhorts but Commands them to perform the Office of Vicars to him But then how warmly he reâ—ented it when some of them ventured beyond the Limits of the Allowance he had given them when they began to encroach on his Prerogatives when they presumed to meddle in Matters for which they had no Allowance and which were not in the common Road nor Regulated by the Canons you shall hear to purpose by and by And from what I have already said the other Case That of the Presbytery's Meeting in the time of a Vacancy may be easily cleared also for thô they might meet yet all they could do was to provide all they could for the Peace and Safety of the Church by determining in Ruled Cases just as may be done by inferiour Magistrates in all other Corporations or Societies in the time of an Inter-Reign but they could make no new Rules And there were several other Things they could not do as I shall also shew fully within a little In the mean time having mentioned how St. Cyprian in his Absence gave a Delegation to his Clergy and Constituted them his Vicars let me give you one Example of it which may well deserve to pass for another Instance of Acts that were peculiar to himself And that is Eighthly His Delegating not his Presbyters in common but two of them only viz. Rogatianus and Nâ—midicus with two Bishops Caldonius and Herculanus not only to consider the State of the Poor and of the Clergy at Carthage but to pronounce his Sentence of Excommunication against Felicissimus and Augendus and all that should joyn themselves to that Faction and Conspiracy Which Delegation was accordingly accepted of and the Sentence put in Execution as we learn by the Return which these four Delegates together with another Bishop called Victor made to our Holy Martyr I might have easily collected more Instances of Powers and Faculties which were peculiar to a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time and which could not be pretended to by Presbyters But these may be sufficient for a Sample especially considering that more perhaps may be discovered in the Prosecution of the next Thing I promised to make appear which was II. That in every thing relating to the Government and Discipline of the Church the Bishop had a Negative over all the other Church-Governours within his District He had the Supreme Power of the Keys No Man could be admitted into the Church no Man could be thrust out of the Church none Excommunicated could be admitted to Penance nor Absolved nor Restored to the Communion of the Church no Ecclesiastical Law could be made nor Rescinded nor Dispensed with without him In short all Ecclesiastical Discipline depends upon the Sacraments and neither Sacrament could be Administrated without his Allowance If this Point well proved does not evince That a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time was a real Prelate and stood in a real Superiority above all other Church Officers I must despair of ever proving any thing And I must despair of ever proving any thing if I prove not this Point 1. To begin with Baptism the Sacrament by which Persons are admitted into the Church That no Man could be Baptized without the Bishop's Consent has as much Evidence as can be well required for any Matter of Fact For First St. Cyprian could not have expressed any thing more fully or more plainly than he has done this To omit that Testimony which he gives in his Exhortation to Marâ—yrdom
it when he cannot escape but by seeking for Refuge in a Reconciliation between Pride and Patience Superciliousness and Self-denial Huffyness and Humility Carnal Height and Christian Holiness But to let this pass Had that Author any solid Ground for saying so Or rather had it been possible for him to have said so had he had but an ordinary Acquaintance with St. Cyprian or his Epistles Charge Pride on the Humble Cyprian Cyprian who was so very Humble that from the Conscience of his own Nothingness he has still been looked upon as a Patern of Humility Cyprian whose Humility would not allow him almost to speak in the Stile of Authority even to Female Laicks Cyprian who was perswaded that God would hear none but the Humble and Quiet Cyprian who believed that none could be a Christian and withal be Proud and Haughty Who insisted on his own Humility in that very Epistle for which that Author charges him with Pride Who if in any thing Gloried most in his Humble and Bashful Modesty Who when accused of Pride could Appeal not only to all Christians but even to the Heathen Infidels as Witnesses of his Innocence Cyprian who had this Great Testimony from some of his Contemporaries That he was the Greatest Preacher the Most Eloquent Orator the Wisest in Counsel the Simplest in Patience the Most Charitable in Alms the Holiest in Abstinence the Humblest in Obligingness and the Most Innocent in every Good Action And from others That he had a Candid and a Blessed Breast c. In a word Cyprian whose Humility was such that if we may believe his Deacon Pontius He fled and lurk'd when they were going to make him a Bishop Such that when St. Augustine many years after was pressed with his Authority he came off with this The Authority of Cyprian doth not fright me because the Humility of Cyprian encourages me Such a Person was Cyprian And yet to Proud was he forsooth for doing his Duty for asserting his Episcopal Authority when most undutifully trampled on by his presuming Presbyters What I have said methinks might be enough in all conscience for defeating for ever that Uncharitable shall I say or Ignorant Suggestion That it was Pride perhaps that prompted Cyprian to write so Magisterially to the Carthaginian Presbyters yet because a farther Discussion of it may contribute not a little for clearing up the Bishop's Negative in St. Cyprian's time I shall not grudge to give it you St. Cyprian had three sorts of People to deal with in that Controversie which bred him so much Trouble He had the Lapsed themselves the Martyrs and Confessors and these Presbyters and Deacons who had encroached so much on his Episcopal Authority I am apt to think the Author himself with whom I have now to do will not be shy to grant That St. Cyprian without incurring the Reputation of either Proud or Presumptuous might have chided the Lapsed as we find he did They had Cowardly renounced their Christianity to save their Lives and Fortunes and the Canons subjected them to a strict and a long Penance for it And I think without the imputation of either Height or Humour one in St. Cyprian's Station might have put them in mind of the Respect they owed to the Canons of the Church and the Governours of it Indeed all the Lapsed were not engaged in the disorderly Course There were some of them who were sensible of their Duty and subjected themselves to their Bishop resolving to wait his time and intirely to depend upon him for their Absolution as we learn from his 33d Epistle His Difficulty was greater with the Martyrs and Confessors who appeared as Patrons to the Prejudicating Lapsed but neither need I insist on that nor how he conquered them in point of Right and Argument For this Author told Dr. Stilling fleet He was wholly out of the way in medling with that Matter seeing none ever imagined that every Martyr had Church Power Thô I must tell you Sir That whoso reads St. Cyprian's Works and particularly observes the State and Management of this whole Controversie about the Lapsed cannot but be convinced that the Reputation and Authority of Martyrs and Confessors made a far greater Figure in it than the Reputation or Authority of Presbyters To come therefore to that which is the main Point with this Author Let us try if St. Cyprian stretch'd his Power too far in his Treatment of the Presbyters who appeared against him in this Controversie Consider the following Steps and then judge I. Consider that St. Cyprian doth not fall a buffing or hectoring or running them down by Noise or Clamour No He Reasons the Case with them and Reasons all along from known and received Principles He tells them plainly indeed That in Presuming as they had done they had forgotten both the Gospel and their own Station That he was their Superiour That they did not pay him the Honour that was due to his Chair and Character That the like had never been attempted before by Presbyters under any of his Predecessor-Bishops That it was a Factious Selfish Temper and too great Love of Popularity that prompted them to Measures so in no wise Presidented That he knew the Secret of the Matter and that it was the old Grudge against his being preferred to the Bishoprick that byass'd them to their Insolencies That is belonged to him as having the Chief Power of the Keys as being Bishop i. e. as having the visible Sovereignty in Church Matters to straiten or slacken the Sinews of Discipline to prolong or shorten the Courses of Penance to grant Absolutions and reconcile Penitents c. That such Presumptions were Encroachments upon the very Foundations of the Church to the Subversion whereof their pretending to any Power in opposition to the Bishops tended In short That such Practices were against Christ's Institution and the Analogies of Government and all the Laws of Order Peace and Unity And they deserved the sharpest Censures for them These I say are a Sample of the Arguments St. Cyprian insisted on against those Presbyters and most of them were founded on Matter of Fact And now suppose St. Cyprian had had considerable Doses of Pride yet if you will but allow him withall to have had some Grains of Common Sense or Honesty can you so much as imagine he could have used such Arguments if they had wanted Foundation Would he not have been ashamed to have used them if he and not his Presbyters had been guilty of the Usurpations he was Condemning But what needs more Have I not fully proved already That a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time was the Principle of Unity to all the Christians Presbyters as well as others within his District And that he was a Sovereign and Peerless Governour of the Church which he Ruled And were not all his Reasâ—nings founded on these Principles But this is not all for 2. Consider that they were
not all the Presbyters of Carthage who were engaged in the Quarrel No Râ—gatianus Britius Numidicus and perhaps many more whose Names are not trasmited to us would never joyn with those of the Faction but still continued in their Duty to St. Cyprian And can we think they would not have joyned with their Brethren for the Maintenance of their own Rights and Priviledges if Cyprian had been the Usurper If he had been Claiming a Sovereign Power without any Pretence of Right to it If he had been driving at a Prelacy when the Government of the Church belonged to Presbyters acting in Parity We learn from St. Cyprian himself That in those Times it was a mighty Wickedness for Men to part tamely with their Rights and Powers in Divine Matters And can we think that Rogatianus Bâ—itius and Numidicus were ignorant of this Or supposing that should have had small Weight with them is Power such a gustless Thing that Men will easily part with it without any Reason But to go on 3. Even those very Presbyters and Deacons of the Faction came once to something like a Dutiful Submission in the Matter They lower'd their Sails and began to wave Apologies and knit Excuses for what they had done They endeavoured to put a fair Face upon the foul Steps they had made They wrote to Cyprian That they had done what they could to bridle the Heats of the Lapsed and oblige them to continue in their Penances till his Return from his Retirement but that they were so Ungovernable and Stiff and urged a present Absolution so eagerly and irresistibly that they were forced in a manner to comply with their Humours But now seeing they found that he their Bishop was so much displeased with what they had done they asked a FORM from him i. e. his Will and Pleasure in the Matter And now let any Man consider whether St. Cyprian or these Presbyters had been in the Wrong before Whether He or They had acted beyond their Lines But I have more to tell you For 4. These Presbyters who had thus transgressed the Bounds of their Station were generally Condemn'd for it by their Brethren Presbyters all the World over At least we have a most remarkable Instance in the Presbyters of Româ— Take it thus St. Cyprian being a Wise and Watchful as well as an Holy and Humble Prelate one who had still before his Eyes thâ— Conservation of the Order the Peace and the Unity of the Church Catholick and perceiving that the Controversie concerning the Restitution of the Lapsed might be of bad Influence on those great Interests if not prudently determined thought fit to acquaint his Brethren of the Episcopal Colledge with it and ask their Sentiments about it And because there was no Bishop then at Rome he wrote to the Presbyters and Deacons the Roman Presbytery The Epistle is the 20th in Number In which he deduced the whole Matter to them and told them particularly how he had Exerted his Episcopal Authority in its Vigour against such of his Presbyters as without his Leave had boldly and presumptuously Absolved the Lapsed and given them the Sacrament Now consider their Return to him You have it in the 30th Epistle They begin with the Acknowledgment of his Supream and Unaccountable Power within his own District which I observed before They impute it to his Modesty and Caution not to his Pride and Fetulancy that he had been pleased to communicate his Measures to them They approve the Course he had taken with the Lapsed They compare him to the Master of a Ship sitting at the Helm who if he steers not right and keeps not a steddy Course especially in a Storm endangers the Ship and runs her upon Rocks or Shelves And I think the Master of a Ship doth not act in Parity with the rest of the Mariners And further They compare those who at that time endeavoured to interrupt the Course of his Discipline Presbyters as well as others to the Tumbling Waves striving to shake the Master from the Helm and expose all to the Hazards of Shipwrack In plain Terms they condemn the Course of Reconciling the Lapsed so Undutifully and Rebelliously As for themselves they tell him and pray take notice of it That wanting a Bishop they could define nothing in the Matter They tell him I say That since the Death of Fabianus of most Noble Memory through the Difficulties of the Times and the Encumbrances of their Affairs they had not got a Bishop Constituted who only could define in these Matters and determine in the Case of the Lapsed with AUTHORITY and Counsel But withal they tell him That for their parts they were extreamly well pleased with the Course he had taken namely That he had resolved to do nothing rashly to take no sudden Resolutions in a Matter of such Consequence but to wait till God should grant him opportunity of Treating about it with others and determining with common Advice in such a ticklish Case Where observe by the way That they do not found the Wisdom of this his Resolution on any thing like the Incompetency of his Power for having determined by himself concerning the Lapsed within his own District No the Reason they give for it supposes his Power to have been fully Adequate and Competent for that Effect and that if he had given the final Stroke no body could have Quarrel'd it For they insist only on the Rules of Prudence which if I mistake not are quite different from the Rules of Power They tell him it might prove Invidious and Burdensom for one Bishop to Determine by himself in a Case in which all Bishops were concerned and that it was Providently done of him to dâ—â—ire the Confent of his Colleagues that his Decrees might be Approved and Confirmed That they might not be made void through the want of the Brotherly Ratification These are the Reasons I say for which they justifie his Caution and these Reasons suppose he had Power to have done otherwise thô not so wisely nor so warily And then they tell him over again That they had met frequently and canvassed the Matter seriously They had tossed it not only amongst themselves but with sevâ—ral Bishops far and near as they had occasion to be in the City and that still the Conclusion was That they should attempt no Innovations till a Bishop should be settled All they had Resolved was That thâ—se of the Lapsed whose Health might allow should continue in the State of the Penitents till God should grant them a Bishop Neither was this a meer Complement to our Holy Martyr Indeed in all this they gave him a true Account of their Real Sentiments and Principles as we learn from another Epistle of theirs wherein they had neither Occasion nor Temptation to Complement Bishops The Epistle is that which is the Eighâ—h amongst St. Cyprian's An Epistle written by them to the Presbyters and Deacons of Carthage to Persons
of their own Rank and Quality By consequence an Epistle in which had they understood it had the Principles of those Times allowed it they might have spoken their Minds very freely concerning the Power of Presbyters Never had Presbyters I am sure more Freedom or better Opportunity to have asserted their own Power and Vindicated Parity and Condem'd Prelatical Usurpations in an Epistle than they had on that Occasion for Fabianus Bishop of Rome was dead and Cyprian Bishop of Carthage was retired and so it was written by Presbyters who had no Bishop to Presbyters in the absence of their Bishop And yet in that Epistle they were so far from having any such Notions that they said expresly That both Themselves who wanted One and those of Carthage who wanted the Presence of One were only seemingly the Governours of those respective Churches and only kept the Flocks in stead of the respective Pastors the Bishops And â—urther telling what Pains they had been at to keep People from Apostatizing in the Day of Trial they account how they Treated those who had fallen particularly that they did separate them from the Flock indeed but so as not to be wanting in their Duty and Assistance to them They did what was proper for their Station They exhorted them to continue patiently in their Penances as being the most plausible Method for obtaining Indulgences from him who could give them That is without Controversie from the Bishop when he should be settled For so I read in an Epistle written at that same time by Celerinâ—s a Roman to Lucianus a Carthaginian and the 2Ist in Number among St. Cyprian's that when the Cause of Numeria and Candida two Female Lapsers was brought before the Presbytery of Rome the Presbytery commanded them to continue as they were i. e. in the State of Penitents till a Bishop should be Inthroned And now let any Man judge whether according to the Principles and Sentiments of the Presbyters of Rome St. Cyprian or his presuming Presbyters had taken too much upon them at Carthage But neither is this all yet for â— These Carthaginian Presbyters were also Condemned by the Roman Martyrs and Confessors who thâ— they were in Prison had learned the State of the Controversie from the Accounts St. Cyprian had sent to Rome two of them Moyses and Maximus being also Presbyters These Martyrs and Confessors wrote also to St. Cyprian and to the same purpose the Roman Clergy had done Their Epistle is the 3Ist in number In which they not only beg with a peculiar Earnestness That he being so Glorious a Bishop would pray for them They not only lay a singular stress upon his Prayers beyond the Prayers of others by reason of the Opinion they had of his Holy Virtues which I am apt to think such Men as they would not probably have done had they believed him to have been a Proud aspiring Prâ—late that is indeed a Limb of Antichrist as this Author would â—ain give him out to have been But also they heartily Congratulate his discharging so Laudibly his Episcopal Office and that even in his Retirement he had made it so much his Care to acquit himself that he had halted in no part of his Duty and particularly That he had suitably Censured and Râ—buked not only the Lapsed who little regarding the Greatness of their Guilt had in his Absence extorted the Churches Peace from his Presbyters but even these Presbyters for their profane Facility in giving that which was Holy to Dogs and casting Pearls before Swine without any Regard to the Gospel In short They Approve his whole Proceeding as having done nothing Unsuitable to his Character nothing Unbecoming either an Holy or an Humble Bishop Further yet 6. These same Carthaginian Presbyters resuming their former Boldness and Topping it over again with their Bishop were Excommunicated by him and his Sentence was Approved and Ratified by all Catholick Bishâ—ps in all Catholick Churches all the World over as shall be shewn you fully by and by And then 7. And lasty That in all this Matter St. Cyprian did nothing either Proudly or Presumptuously is evident from this That in his Time and long before his Time even from the Apostles Times it was not Lawful for Presbyters to Attempt any thing relating to the Church without the Bishop 〈◊〉 Presbyters and Deacons attempt nothing without the Bishop's Allowance for 't is he to whom the Lord's People are committed and 't is he that must Account for their Souls is the 39th of the Canons called Apostolical And no doubt it was in force in St. Cyprian's time And this was no greater Power than was assigned him by the Apostolical Ignatius I cannot tell how many times Take these Testimonies for a Sample Let no Man do any thing that belongs to the Church without the Bishop He that hâ—noureth the Bishop is honoured of God but he that doth any thing in opposition to the Bishop serveth the Devil If any Man pretend to be wiser than the Bishop i. e. will have Things done against the Bishop's Will he is Corrupted Let us be careful not to resist the Bishop as we would be subject to God The Spirit hath spoken Do ye nothing without the Bishop 'T is necessary that you continue to do nothing without the Bishop And now let any of Common Sense determine Whether there was Ground or shadow of Ground for insinuating that St. Cyprian shewed too much Zeal in this Cause or attempted to stretch his Power a little too far indeed it had not been a little but very much nay monstrously too far had those of Parity been then the current Principles or was a little too high in this Matter But if there was no Ground to say so if it was contrary to all the then current Principles and to the common Sentiments of all Catholick Christians nay even to the Convictions of all Honest Orderly Dutiful and Conscientious Presbyters who then lived to say so If thus it was I say and 't is hard to prove any Matter of Fact more evidently than I have proved that it was thus then I think it follows by good Consequence not only that this Author was a little in the wrong to St. Cyprian when he said so but also that in St. Cyprian's time a Bishop had fairly a Negative over his Presbyters which was the Thing to be demonstrated And so I proceed to the next Thing proposed namely III. That all the other Church-Governours within his District Presbyters as well as others were in St. Cyprian's time subject to the Bishop's Authority and obnoxious to his Discipline I do'nt think you very sharp sighted if you have not seen this already Yet that I may give you all reasonable Satisfaction I shall insist a little further on it And I. This might appear sufficiently from this one Consideration thâ— no more could be produced for it That still in the Stile and Language of
by him no other Name but his could give them Force and make them Current Well! but there was one Thing amiss St. Cyprian and the rest of the African Bishops having Intelligence of the Competition that was at Rome between Cornelius and Novatianus and being unwilling to do any thing rashly had determined to continue to write only to the Roman Presbyters and Deacons as before during the Vacancy till Cornelius his Title should be fully cleared to them This the Clergy of Adrumâ—tum were ignorant of when they wrote the above-mentioned Letter And being afterwards told it by Cyprian and Liberalis they directed their next Letter not for Cornelius but for the Roman Presbyters and Deacons Hereat Cornelius was not a little stumbled and according to the then current Principles interpreting it to be a disowning of him as Bishop of Rome he wrote a Letter of Complaint to Cyprian about it who was then Metropolitan of that Province In Answer to which our Holy Martyr wrote a full Apology to him shewing him what was true Matter of Fact Upon what Reasons the Bishops of Africa had taken the aforesaid Resolution How it was in consequence of that Resolution that the Clergy of Adrumetum had changed their Direction And how by the whole Method noâ—â—â—ng was less intended than to disown him as Bishop of Rome or Invalidate his Title And was there not here as clear an Evidence that Regularly and in the current Form all Letters were directed to the Bishop Shall I give you another History to clear this Matter further When Maximus and Nicostratus retaining to Novatianus and so separating from Cornelius did thereby cut themselves off from the Communion of the Church Cyprian wrote to them as well he might considering that his Design was to Reconcile them to their True Bishop Cornelius But how did he write Why so as that his Letter should not be delivered till Cornelius should see it and judge whether it was proper to deliver it Such a special regard was then paid to the Bishop of a Church as being Supreme in it and the Principle of Unity to it If all this doth not satisfie you then listen a little further and resist this Evidence if ye can Because by the Fundamental Principles of One Faith and One Communion every Heretical and Schismatical Bishop was ipso facto out of the Church and all who retain'd or adhered to him whether Bishops Clergy or Laicks did run the same Risque with him Therefore so soon as any Bishop turned Heretick or Schismatick the Catholick Bishops of the Province especially the Metropolitans formed Lists of all the True Orthodox and Catholick Bishops within their respective Provinces and sent them to other Metropolitans And so they were transmitted all the World over That their Communicatory Letters and theirs only might be received and their Communion and theirs only might be allowed and that all Heretical or Schismatical or Retainers to Heretical or Schismatical Bishops might be rejected and their Communion refused And for this we have two notable Testimonies from St. Cyprian the one is in his 59th Epistle directed to Cornelius where he tells him That upon Fortunatus his starting out of the Church and pretending to be Bishop of Carthage He had sent him the Names of all the Bishops in Africa who Govern'd their Churches in Soundness and Integrity and that it was done by common Advice But to what purpose That you and all my Collegues may readily know to whom you may send and from whom you may receive Communicatory Lettâ—s The other Testimony is in Ep. 68. where Cyprian having given his Sentiâ—ents fully concerning Marcianus that he had forfeited his Dignity and that it was necessary that another should be substituted in his room c. requires Stephen Bishop of Rome to give himself and the rest of the Bishops of Africa a distinct Account of the Person that should be Surrogated in Marcianus his Place That we may know says he to whom we may direct our Brethren and write our Letters I have only given you a Taste of the Methods and Expedients which were put in Practice in those Times for preserving the Unity the One Communion of the One Catholick Church and how nicely and accurately it was provided for by the Incorporation of all Bishops into Ouâ— College of all particular Principles of Unity of particular Churches into one Aggregated Principle of Unity proportioned to the Extent of all those Churches in their Aggregation And by the mutual Support of all Bishops one towards another It had been easie to have collected more Particulars as well as to have insisted more largely on these I have collected But from the small Collection I have made I think I have laid Foundation enough for another Demonstration against our Author's Notion of a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time For How could either Single Presbyter or Presbyterian Moderator taking the Terms in the Presbyterian Sense have born such a Part in relation to the Unity of the Catholick Church and the Preservation of One Communion Besides that the College of Bishops in those Times is still considered and insisted on as consisting of Church Governours notoriously distinguished from Presbyters Besides that in all St. Cyprian's Writings or in any Monument of those Times you shall never so much as once find a Bishop calling a Presbyter his Collegue Besides that we have not the least Vestige of any such stated ordinary current Office in any Record of those Times as that of a meer Presbyterian Moderator Besides these Things I say How had it been consistent with the Principles or Analogies the Scheme or Plot of Presbyterian Parity to have committed to any Single Presbyter Moderator or other the bearing of such a Part as that He and He alone of God knows how many should have been Constituted a Member of a College which College and which alone had the Supreme Power of Preserving the Faith and the Unity and managing all the Affairs of the Church Catholick As that all his Admissions into the Church his Exclusions from the Church his Extrusions out of the Church his Suspensions his Abstentions his Excommunications his Injunctions of Penances his Absolutions his Ordinations his Degradations his Depositioâ—â— in a word all his Acts of Government and Discipline within his own District and his alone should have had Authority and been deemed Valid and merited a Ratification all the World over As that whosoever Presbyter or other within such a District in which there might have been many Decads of Presbyters was Disobedient to him or Top't it with him or Rebelled against him should have been reputed Disobedient to and Rebellious against the whole College of the Supreme Governours of the Church Catholick As that raising an Altar against his Altar and his only should have been deem'd Raising an Altar against all Catholick Christian Altars As that from him and from him only in the regular Course all Communicatory Informatory Conâ—olatory in short all