( 93) populous Congregation ] ( And then we arenot out in fo inter- preting the words of Taut and other writersofthe holy Scri- pture. ) The nextthat I fhall mention ( whoever was or when ever he lived ) is Dionyf. de Scclef. Hierarch. cap. 4. where he tells us that thePræfe t (who was the Bifhop,if there were any) did Baptize thofe that were converted, and the Presbyters and Deacons did but affifi him : And abundance of work he menti- oneth which they had withall that they Baptized, and they cal- led all the Congregation together who joyned in Prayers with the "whop at the Baptifm. Al which {hews that he was then the Bifhop but ofone particular Church, which ordinarily Af- fembled together for publick-worfhip. For, I. Ifhe had many fuchChurches or Cotgregationsunder him, he could not be thus prefent to celebrate B:Iprifm in themail. Nor would one only be mentioned as his charge. 2. Nor is it pofhble that one Bifhop Mould aA ich fo longa way of Baptifme as is there defcribed, be able to Baptize all the perfonssin a Diocefs filch as ours, or the twentieth part of" them,much lets in thofe times , when befides the Infantsof' Believers , the molt eminent fort of Baptifm, and greaten labour, was about the multitudes of Adult Converts, that by the Gofpel weredaily added to the Church. Gregory Thaumaturgus was as by force made Bifhop of Neocefarea : and yet his whole Diocefs or City had but leven. teen(.. hriilians in it at his entrance,though whenhe died he found upon enquiry but feventeen Pagans, fo great a change was made by the Gofpel and by Miracles : But by thisDioces offeventeen fouls we may conjeáurewhat the Churches were in thofe times (though we fhould allow others tobe anhundred timesas great, they would not be fogreat as the tenth part of many Parifhes in England.)See thetruth of this paffage in Greg.ISTiffen Oratio in Çreg. Thaumatur, twice over he recites it. And Bafi1. Mag I. de Spir. Sane. c. 19. And Roman. Brezoiar. Die 15 Arovemb. And the Menolog. Grec. mentioned before Greg, 1lleocefar. works Printed ad Paris 1622. Buti {hall return to fome before rregory. The next thatI (hall cite is Tertullian, that well known place in his Apolog. c. 3 9. [ Cops,' furious de confcientia Religionis & Difciplint n irate &fpeifedere. Coimus sn ccetum &Congregati- onem at ad Deum quaff manu faEla precationibus ambiamus N 3 orantes.
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