C71' his Dominions , without diminifhing the number of Chrifa c ans if he do but defranchife the Cities, and be of the mind as I have heard fotne men have been, that Cities are againft the Princes intereft by flrengthening the people , and advantaging them to rebellions. Alfa if there be any In- dian Nations fo barbarous as to have no Cities though they wereconverted,yet mull they have no Bifhops : Alfo it would be in the Princespower de jure to depofe any of thofe Bifhops that the Apoffles or their Succeffors are fuppofed to fet up : For the Roman Empereur might have proclaimed Antioch, Ale- xandria, or anyof the ref} to he no Cities, and then they muff have no longer have had any Bifhops. And what Bifhops fhall Antioch haveat this day ? Now how abfurd all this is , I need not manife{l : that whole Contreces fh ll have no Government for want of Cities that Kings fhall foalter ChurchOfficers at their pie rfure when they intend it not, meetly by altering the Civil Priviledges of their people; that a Kingmay makeone Diocefsto become an hun dred,and an hundred become one,by fuch means. And yet all this doth undenyably follow, if the Lawbe that every Cicy,and.only every City fhall beaBifhops Sea where there are Chrifl ians to be governed. Reafon 7. There it nu fuficientReafon given ,whyfubjea Pref Reafoi 7, byters fhould not havebeenfet up in theScripture times, as well as after , if it had been the Apoflles intent that fuchfhouldbe inflitur redo. The Neceflity pretended, was no necef city, and the Non- neceffity is but pretended. First it is pretended that there were fo few fit men that there was a Neceflity of forbearance. But this is not fo : For; t The Church had larger gifts of the Spirit then, then now,and therefore proportionab"e to the flocks they mighthave had competent men,then as well as now: z.They hadmen enough to makeDeacons of, even feven in a Church : And who will believe then that they could find none to rn::ke filch Elders of? Was not Stephenor Philip fufficiently qualified to have been a fubje&'Elder ? 3. They had many that prophe- fied and interpreted , and fpake with tongues in one At fembly, as appears a C'or. t q. And therefore its manifeft that there were, enough to have made Ruled Elders : At least fuze theChurch at erufalem, where there were fo many thou- fandç,
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