( g) Ifany' here fay thatfo many thoufands could not beofone Affembly, Ihave .anfwered it before. r'. I have preached ( as was fuppofed ) to ten thoufand at once. 2. Some of ourParithes that have but one Church, are thirty thou- fand, force forty thoufand, force fifty thoufand. 3. There were ftrangers at Jerufalem, from all parts. ¢. The next Verfe faith [There came'alfa a multi- tude out of the Cities round about unto Jerufalem.] 5. The multitude were not yet perfe8ly embodied, and were-quickly fcattered. Col. 4.16. When this Eplle it read amongyou, caufe that it be read alto in the Church of the Laadiceans,, &c. It is not [ to the Church] for then you might have laid that fo it maybe if the Church confifted of manyAffemblies : But it is I in the Church] which intimateth that the Church was but one Affembly. And fo that of Coloffe anfwerably. All thefe Texts and others fuch plainly tell us whether a Church there was one Affembly or manyhundred. 3. This is made yet much more evident,by the Scriptures defcription of a Bi- (hops work ; even fuch as theApöftles then appointed over every Church. a. They were to be the ordinary publick prefent teachers of all the Flock which they did overfee. r Theft-. 5. 12, 13. Know them which labour among you and are over you in the Lord, and ofeem them highly in love for their work, fake: Thofe then that were over everyChurch, were prefent with the Church, and laboured among them (which theycould not do in one ofour Dioceffes, fa- ving as a man maybe laid to labour among a Kingdom, or theWotld, becaufe they labour in it.) Heb. 13. 8, 07, 24. Remember them which have the rule over you, which have fpeken toyou the word of God.' Obey them that have the Rule over you, and fub- mit your felves, for-they watch for your fouls as they that muff give account. So that a Church was no bigger than the Bithops could fpeak the wordof God to, and could watch for their fouls. But I never taw the face of the Bishop of the Diocefs where I live, and know but very fewmen in his Diocefs that ever did fee him. 2. And this care was to extend to'the particular perforas ofthe Flocks. .4E1. zo. 20, 28, 3 r. I taught youpubliçkly, and from boufe to houfe. Take heed to your felves, and to all the' Flock" over which the Holy Gholl loath made you Bifhops, to feed (or rule) the Church of God, &c. Remembor that by thefface of three years I ceafed not to warn every one night and daywith tears. r,Pet. I. 2,3. The Elders which are amongyou I exhort who am alfo an Elder, feed the Flock, of God which is among you, taking the overfight thereof, not by cot- f raint, &c. that is, faithDoctor Hamntónd [The Bifhops ofyour feveral Chureber I exhort, take care ofyour feveral Churches, and govern them, not as Secular Rulers byforce, but as Pafors dotheir Sheep by callingand going beforé them, that fo they may followof their own accord.] See alto Do_elor Hammond's "'rant. on Heb. r3. 7, r7. rTheft 5. 12, 13. And faith Doe or Jeremy Taylor, of Re ent. Pref. [I ant fore we cannot give account of foulsof which we have no notice. (O ter- rible word to the undertakers of fo many hundred Churches, an fomany thoufand or ten thoufand fouls which they never knew ! ) This
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