( 6) L4bout Saint Cyprians time, andnot afire,he finds mention led Congregations isttbe Country 1 By which it may be well con . jeetured what a (Mall addition the .Bifhops had outof the Coun. treys to their City Churches,and howmany Congregations they Governed in the Apoftle dayes and after. He affirmeth alto that [ the power of the Keyes belongeth to the Presbyters, and that its convertible with the power of cele- brating the Eucharifl, and thats the Reafon hy it belongs to them, page 98. ibid. and that the Power ofthe Keys, that is, the whole power ofthe Church whereof thatpower is the root and fourfe , is common to BAops andPresbyters page 128 and that to this all fides agree,page 106, and that by their Grant Deacons and others may preaclstut not Ruleor adminitier the LordsSupper fee page ii8. 123. And he is far from beingof their mind that think in Scripture times there was but one fingle Bifhop without other Presbyters in a Diocefan Church : For he fuppofed many in a Congregation.Page 126 he faith ['Youfeeby Sr.Paul,i Cor.I 4. that one Affembly whereof he fpeak.s there, furnished with a great number of Prophets, whether Presbyters or over and above them. In theRecords of the Church, we find divers times a whole, Bench of Presbyters prefiding at one 4ffembly. ] And before he had Chewed how they fate about the Bifhop, and the congregation flood before them. Andpage 127. he faith that [Clemensthe Dileiple ofthe ApoJtles,in his Epifile to the Corinthi- ans to compofe a difference among the Presbyters of that Church partly about the celebrationof the Eucharifi,advifeth them toagree and tak their turns in it.] I confefs Iknnw not whence he bath this (doubtlefsnot in the true approved Epiffle ofClement) but it fliews in his judgement., 1. That there were then many Pres- byters in the Churchof Corinth.z.And that thatChurch was but one Congregation,or not very many 'Elfe what need the Pres- byters take their turns, when they might have done it at once ? 3. That the word Presbyter in Clemens fignifieth not a Prelate. 4. And it feems this intimateth there was then no Bifhop in Co. rinth : elfe no queflion but Clemens would have charged thefe difagreeing -Presbyters to obey their Bifhop, and ufed fome of Ignatius. language:j.Nay if Bifhops had been thenknown in the world , is i r not likely that he would have charged them to get a $i hopifthf.-..y had not,toGovern loch a difagrecing Presbytery? And
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=