Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BX5151 .B3 1659

( 94) orantes. ---- Cogimur ad div'narum literarum Commemorationem Certé fidemlanais vocibus pafcimus,fpem erid imáts;fid,uci- am fgimus, difciplinam praceptorum nihilominus inculcationi - bus denfamus : ibidem etiam exhortations, Cafiigationes, cen- fora Divine : nam & judicator magno cumpondere at spud cer- tos de Dei con¡peEiu ; fummumq; futuri judicii pr ejudicium eft fsquis its deliquerit,ut a communicatione Orations, & conventus, - omnisfaníi commercii relegetur.Prefdent probati quiq; feni- ores, Vic. ] If I be able to underhand Tertullian it is hereplain that each:-hurch confined ofone Congregation,which affembled for Worfhip and Difcipline at onceor in one place, and this Church was it that had Prefidents or Seniors to guide them both inWorfiuip and by Difcipline. So that if there were any more of thefe Affembliesin one particular Political Church, then there were more Bithops thenone,or elfe others befides flifhops exer- cifed this Difcipline : But indeed its here plainly intimated that Bithops were then theGuides of Congregations ( tingle,) and not ofDioceffes conlifting ofmany fuch. T ¡hall put Tertit liant meaningout of doubt by another place, and that is, de Corona Militis cap. 3. L Eucharifl e Sacrament. tum a in tempore viîlus, & omnibus mandatum ìa `Domino,eti- am antelucanis ritibus , nec de aliorummane , u :mprafidentium fumimus. J: And if they received this Sacrament of none but the Prefidents, ( and that every Lords day at leaff,as no doubt they did ) then they couldhave no more Congregations in a Church then they had Prefidents, And ( though Ring lies fay that by Prefidents here is meant alto Presbyters, yet; thole that we now difpute againlI,underfhsndit of the prelates. And if they will not fodo,then may we will interpret the foretold pafrage Apol,to be meant ofthe fame fort ofPrelidents ; and siren ; oumay loon fee what Bishops were in Tertulliansdayes. For we have no reafon to think that they are not the fate fort of0ificers which he cal'eth Prefidents,andof whom he there laith,Prafrdent probati Seriores. So in theforegoingwords in Tertu!a':#an. ibidits fail [ Aquam ,adituri ibidem, fed& aliquando pri îc in Ecclefia1;4 ,sntijlitis manse conte arear nos renunciare Diabola, P rope& angel.s ejuej Where it teems that there were no more thus initiated then the Antilles hirnfelfdid fir!' thug engage in theCongregation ; And I believe they take this 4nti flex for a Bif op. And

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