the Divine Ordinance And yet these Men had made no Schism They had not departed from the Tabernacle nor raised another Altar c. which now the Schismaticks do meaning the Novatians who dividing the Church and rebelling against Christ's Peace and Unity are bold to Constitute an Episcopal Chair and assume to themselves a Primacy an Episcopal Authority and a POWER OF BAPTIZING and OFFERING that is Celebrating the Holy Eucharist What can be more plain than 't is here That no Sacraments could be Administred but in dependance on the Bishop Indeed 3. Considering that as I have fully proved a Bishop was then the Principle of Unity to the Church that he was Chief Governour of the Church and that by consequence the Supreme Power of the Keys could not but belong to him Considering that the Church was a Visible Society that he was the Visible Head of that Visible Society and by consequence that it belonged to him as such to take care that Society might suffer no Detriment Considering these Things I say it was highly reasonable that he should have the Chief Power of Dispensing the Sacraments Such a Power as that neither might be dispensed without him What can be more Detrimental to a Society especially such a Society as a Christian Church than admitting Unworthy Persons to the Priviledges of it Or allowing them to continue in it Or restoring them to their Membership in the Society after they have been justly thrust from it without considering whether they have given any Evidences of a serious Reformation And who so proper to judge of these Matters as the Chief Governour of the Society And now Having thus made it evident that a Bishop in St. Cyprian's time had a Negative over all other Church-Officers within his District in the grand Concern of Dispensing both Sacraments and that neither could be Administred without him or against his Authority I might fairly supersede the trouble of making either a Minute or a laborious Demonstration of his Sovereign Interest in the Acts of Excommunication or injoyning Penances or reconciling Penitents or making or rescinding or dispensing with Ecclesiastical Laws or Canons in a word in every thing relating to the Government or Discipline of the Church All these Acts depend upon the Sacraments His Negative therefore about the Dispensation of the Sacraments had been in vain and to no purpose if he had not had a Negative likewise about all these Acts. Besides you will not readily say I think that he could have had a Greater Trust by having a Negative in any other Matter than in the Dispensing of the Sacraments Having that therefore he might well be intrusted with a Negative in all other Things either of equal if any such can be imagined or lesser Importance on which the Order the Subsistence the Unity the Peace the Purity the Prosperity or whatsoever Interest of the Church could any way depend Yet that I may give you all possible satisfaction I shall proceed a little further and give you by way of Historical Deduction such an account of Powers lodged e. g. in St. Cyprian's Person as you may fairly judge thereby concerning the Preheminences of Bishops in his Time The most current Account we have about him is that he was not Converted to Christianity at least not Baptized till the Year 246. That he was Ordain'd a Presbyter Anno 247 and Bishop of Carthage Anno 248. Chronologists do generally agree in this last Step of his Preferment Now as we learn both from himself and from Pontius his Deacon some of the Carthaginian Clergy were mighty Enemies to his Promotion Belike they took it ill that he so lately converted to the Faith so lately made a Presbyter should have been preferred to themselves However it was certain it is as I said that they appeared against him with all their might and main But the People were so Generally and so Zealously for him to have him their Bishop that these his Enemies were overpowered Made Bishop he was and he was a Person so well Qualified so Eminent in every Virtue and withal so Strict and Cautious in his Life and Government after he was made Bishop that it was not easie for the Mutineers to wreck their Malice on him But this was so far from softening them and bringing them to a better temper that on the contrary it imbittered them the more and made them the more watchful of all Opportunities to breed him Troubles and disturb his Government At last they catch'd hold of one and that a very dangerous one in the time of the Decian Persecution This Persecution beginning towards the end of the Year 249 and lasting for a full Year coming on the Church after a loâ—g Peace with a surprizing Violence had very sad Effects Vast numbers turned Apostates Renouncing the Holy Faith and Sacrificing to the Heathen Idols And Cyprian himself commanded by God had retired from Carthage till there should be some Relentment of the Fury of the Persecution Here I say his subtle Enemies found their so long wished Opportunity For the Lapsed so soon as the Hazard was over resumed their Christian Profession and turned mighty forward if not furious to be restored to the Communion of the Church ' Thô they knew full well that they were bound by the Canons to have continued for a long time in the state of Penitents yet they thought their Numbers and perhaps their Qualities might overpower the Canons and claim Indulgences and Dispensations With them struck in those Clergy-men who had still retained the old Grudges against St. Cyprian's Promotion encouraging their Presumptions They knew he was a Man of Principles and had a mighty Zeal for the real Interests of Christianity and by consequence that he would stand Resolutely by the Canons of the Church and be clear that the Lapsed should perfect their Terms of Penance They saw the Eagerness of the Lapsed to be sooner reconciled than the Canons allowed They resolved therefore to fall in with them thinking that thereby they should effectually put a Thorn in his Foot they should enflame the Lapsed and their Relations perchance the great Body of the People against him But this was not all It was not enough for them themselves to encourage the Lapsed in their Petulancies The Bishops Prelation over Presbyters was then so Notorious that as malicious as they were they had not Impudence enough to set up theirs in opposition to his Authority and Reconcile the Lapsed to the Church meerly upon the score of their own Credit against his Will and Orders and therefore they fell upon another Project If it was possible for any other to stand up against the Bishops Authority it was that of the Martyrs and Confessors These for their Faith and Patience their fervent Zeal and fragrant Graces their glorious Courage and good Example that they might Persevere themselves and others might be encouraged to follow their Patern were held in mighty Reputation They were reputed as
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
dearer to God and in a closer Communion with him and nearer Approximation to him than Christians of the common size And their Intercessions had been in use of being much regarded in former Persecutions These therefore as the only Persons whose Credit could be feasibly put in the Ballance with the Bishops Authority the Holy Man's Supplanters instigated to espouse the Quarrel of the Lapsed to become their Patrons for having themselves Absolved against the Bishop's Resolutions And truly some of them were so far wrought upon as to turn Zealous for it And armed with their Authority these discontented Presbyters adventured to Absolve and Lapsed and receive them to the Sacrament without the Bishop's Allowance Now consider what followed and speak your Conscience and tell me if St. Cyprian was not more than either Single Presbyter or Presbyterian Moderator Thô he was one of the mildest and most humble Men that ever lived yet so soon as this was told him where he was in his Retirement he was not a little alarm'd The Practice was surprizing and the Presumption new as well as bold The like had never been done before in any Christian Church And such preposterous Methods clearly tended to shake all the Foundations of Order and good Discipline And therefore he thought it high time for him if he could to give the Check to such irregular and unexampled Methods In short he drew his Pen and wrote Three notable Epistles one to the Martyrs and Confessors Another to his Clergy and a third to his Peoplâ— Insisting in each of them upon the Novelty and Unwarrantableness of the Course was taken the Dishonours and Indignities were done himself by it and the great Mischiefs and fatal Consequences might nay would unavoidably follow upon it if it were not forborn More particularly In that to the Martyrs and Confessors he told them That his Episcopal Care and the Fear of God compelled him to Admonish them That as they had devoutly and couragiously kept the Faith so they ought suitably to be observant of Christ's Holy Laws and Discipline That as it became all Christ's Soldiers to obey their General 's Commands so it was their Duty in a special manner to be Examples to others That he had thought the Presbyters and Deacons who were with them might have taught them so much But that now to his extream Grief he understood they had been so far from doing that that on the contrary some of them especially some Presbyters neither minding the Fear of God nor the Honour of their Bishop had industriously misled them He complain'd mightily of the Presumption of such Presbyters that against all Law and Reason they should have dared to Reconcile the Lapsed without his Consent That herein they were more Criminal than the Lapsers themselves That it was somewhat Excusable in the Lapsed to be earnest for an Absolution considering the uncomfortable State they were in so long as they were denied the Communion of the Church But it was the Duty of Office-bearers in the Church to do nothing rashly lest in stead of Pastors they should prove Worriers of the Flock c. And then he told these Martyrs and Confessors how far their Priviledges reached All they could do was by way of humble Supplication to Petition the Bishop for a Relaxation of the Rules of Discipline But they had neither Power to Command him nor Grant Indulgences without him Indeed this he told them frequently and that they went beyond their Line if they ventured any further In that to his Presbyters and Deacons he wrote in a yet more resenting Strain He told them He had long kept his Patience and held his Peace but their immoderate Presumption and Temerity would suffer him no longer to be silent For what a dreadful Prospect says he must we have of the Divine Vengâ—â—nce when some Presbyters neither mindful of the Gospel nor their own Stations nor regarding the future Iudgments of God nor the Bishop who for the time is set over them dare attempt what was never attempted before under any of my Predecessors namely so to Affront and Contemâ—â— their Bishop as to assume all to themselves And then he proceeds to tell them how he could overlook and bear with the Indignity done to his Episcopal Authority if there were no more in it But the course they followed was so wicked they were so injurious to the Lapsed whom they presumed to Reconcile so Uncaononically their Pride and Popularity were so apparent in their Method it was such a Crime so to Expose the Martyrs to Envy and set them at Variance with their Bishop c. that he could â—tifle it no longer In short all over the Epistle he wrote like a Bishop and concluded it with a Peremptory Threatning of a present Suspension from the Exercise of their Office and then an Infliction of further Censures when he should return from his Retirement if they should Persevere in such a Lawless Course In that to his People he proceeded on the â—ame Principles condemned these Presbyters who had acted so disorderly not reserving to the Bishop the Honour of his Chair and Priesthood Told them That those Presbyters ought to have taught the People otherwise Laid to their Charge the Affectation of Popularity and required such of the People as had not fallen to take Pains upon the Lapsed to try to bring them to a better Temper to perswade them to hearken to his Counsel and wait his Return c. Here were three Epistles written I think in plain Prelatick Stile sure neither in the Stile of Single Presbyter nor Presbyterian Moderator Especially if we consider the very next written to his Presbyters and Deacons upon the same Principles still He had written to them several times before from the Place of his Retirement but had received no Answer from them Now consider how he Resents this and Resenting it asserts his own Episcopal Authority his own Sovereign Power in Ecclesiastick Matters For thus he begins I wonder dear Brethren that you have returned no Answers to the many Letters I have sent you especially considering that now in my Retirement you ought to inform me of every thing that happens that so I may advisedly and deliberately give Orders concerning the Affairs of the Church Let any Man lay these four Letters together and weigh them impartially and then let him judge if St. Cyprian wrote in the Stile of Parity if he claim'd not a Sovereign Power a Negative to himself over all the Christians Presbyters as well as others living within his District But did not Cyprian shew too much Zeal in this Cause Possibly he attempted to stretch his Power a little too far as afterwards many did He was a Holy and Meek Man but such may be a little too High So I read indeed in a late Book But it seems the Author has found himself very sore put to it when he said so For how can one not be fore put to
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-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