(MO) Pari(hesas well asCities,it íhews that fuc.hParifhes were but new and imperfect Affemblies. In the Council of Lsodicea the 56. Canon is [ Non oportet Presbyteros anteingreffum Epifcofì ingredi Ecclefiam, c federe in tribunalibus, red cstm Epifcopo ingredi : ni/i forte at ,egrotet Epifcopsas,aut in peregrinationis commodoesrm abeffe confliterit. By which it feems that there was but one Affemby in which the Bithop and Presbyters fate together : Otherwife the Presbyters might have gone into all the reft of the Churches without the Bithop at any time, and not only, in cafe ofhis ficknefs or pere. grination. The. fifth Canon of the Council ofitntioch is the fame with that ofCan. Apofit. beforecited,that no Presbyter or Deacon con- temninghis own Biflop, fh.sll withdraw from the church and áa. tberan flffemblyapart,.andfetatpan Altar. By which Rill it appears that to withdraw from that ffembly,was to withdraw from the Church,and that one Bifhop had but oneAltar and/1.0'm- *And it Teems y bl for ChurchCommunion. the Churches were not fo So Concil,Carthag. 4. Can.3 5 whielrorder the fitting ofthe large asfome Presbyters andBithop together in the Church : And many de- imagine, even, crees that lay it on the Bithop to look to the Church lands and at the fi:xth ,goods and diliribute to the poor the Churches Alms, do fhew General ' P Council at that their Dioceffes were butfrnall,or elfe they had not been fuf- met. in con- ficient for this.. (Èantinop. All the premifes laid together me thinks-afförd me thisconclu- whenCanon: fion, that the Apoftolical particular Political Churches werefuck 7s: ìtwasot as condeied ofone onlyWoríhi to Congregation ered that.. no. Y PP g ( a Con- the fifth gregation capableofperfonal communion in publick woríhip ) day of the and their Overfeers ; and that by little they departed from this week the form,each Bithopenlarging his Diocefs, till he that was made at Bo fatoveCe1e firft the Bithopbut ofone Church, became the Bifhop ofmany, theirBelief and fo fet up a new frameof Government, by facing up a new to the Bithop kind of particular Churches -. And thus was the primitive Go- ze the Presby- vernment corrupted, while men meafured their charge by the tern : And it circuit of. Ground, thinking they might retain the old com afs was not fuc!s when they had . multiplied converts, and therefore fh.ould have Dioceßés as Y P ours that this multiplyed Churches and Bifhops. * work could <: To thisI add there obfervations. That the veryNature hethas dona- of ChArcb government tels us that a-:Gavcrrtour mull be prefe,t arp6as.
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