110 LIFE OF RICHARD BAXTER. hear one ; and little heeding what another said, wnen he had spoken himself." "In this time of my abode at the Lord. Broghill's, fell out all the acquaintance I had with the most reverend, learned, humble, . and pious primate of Ireland, Archbishop Usher, then living at the earl of Peterborough's house, in Martin's lane. Sometimes he came to me, and oft I went to him." " In this time, I 'opened to him the motions of concord which I had made with the Epis- copal divines, and desired his judgment of my terms, 'khich were these : 1. That every pastor be the governor as, well asthe teacher of his flock. 2. In those parishes that have more presbyters than one, that one be the stated president. 3. That in every market town, or some such meet divisions, there be frequent as- semblies of parochial pastors, associated for concord and mutual as- sistance in their work ; and that in these meetings one be a stated, not a temporary president. 4. That in every county or diocese, there be, every year, or half year, or quarter, an assembly of all the ministers of the county or diocese;. and that they also have their fixed president; and that in ordination, nothing be done with- out the president, nor in mattersof common or public concern- ment. 5. That the coercive power or sword be meddled with by none but magistrates. To this sense were my proposals, which he told me might suffice for peace andunity among moderate men ; but when 'he had offered the like to the king, intemperate men were displeased with him, and they were rejected, but afterwards would have been accepted; and such success I was like to have." "I asked him also his judgment about thevalidity ofpresbyters' ordination; which he asserted, and told me, that the king asked him at the Isle of Wight, wherever he found in antiquity thatpres- byters alone ordained any, and that he answered, ' I can show your Majesty more, even where presbyters alone successively ordained bishops,' and instanced in Jerome's words of the presbyters of Alexandria choosing and making their own bishops, from the days of Mark till Heraclus and Dionysius. I also asked him whether the paper be his, which i1 called ` A Reduction of Episcopacy to the Form of Synodical Government ;' which he owned. "And of his own accord he told me confidently, that synods are not properly for government, but for agreement among the pastors; and a synod of bishops are not the governors of any one bishop there present.' Though no doubt but every pastor out of the synod being a ruler of his flock, a synod of such pastors may there exercise acts of government over their flocks, though they be but acts of agreement or , contract for concord one towards another."* Narrative, Part II. pp. 205, 206,
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