($6) .their Bishopsor Curators fetled in Rome by Servius Tullius he faith, +Quibui -Chriffianorum in agris Parcecie quam f:millime fuerunt ; Nam er brio-Korot, &c. To which the Parifhes ofthe Chriffians in the Countries were mofi likj : For there alfo were Bifhops, or rather (Chorepifcopi) rural Bifho s placed ofold : which force Latine interpretations of the Canons call the Vicars of the Bifhops, but others' far-more rightly than they, the Country, or Village . ( Bithops) (of which more after.) - So that,you fee iñ Petavius opinion, ,even when Epiphanies wrote, the ordi- nary Cities of the World had 'but one Affewbly in each City and Suburbs And only force extraordinary`Cities (ofwhich only Alexandria could be named by Epipbaniuc,andRomealfo by Petavius,and no more byany other Author) had ' divers - fetled Titles under their feveral Presbyters : And even thofe Titles in thofe twoCities were but Chappels, like our Parifh Chappels, received confe- crated Bread from the Bithops Church, left they fhould think that they were diftin& body of themfelves. Yea, and that the Villages that had Affemblies had their proper Bishops. And fo I difinifs Petavius with thanks, for his free Concetlion. t. slfhop 2. My next Witnefs is Bithop Downame, the itrongeft that hath written a- towname gainft Parish Bishops for Diocefanes ; who, lib. r. cap. i. ( before recited ) faith, [ Indeed at the very firfhConverfion ofCities, the whole number of thepeople converted, being fomewhere not much greater than the number ofPresbyters placeda- mong them, were able to make but a fmallCongregation.] And cap. 6. pag. 164. {At the firfl, and namely the time of the Apoflle Paul, the moft of the Churches, to foon after their Converfion; did not each of them, exceedthe proportion of apopulous Congregation.] Though this reach not fo low as Petavius Conceflion, it is as much as I need to the prefent bufinefs. -3. Moller 3. My third Witnefs (hall be that learned moderate man, Mr. Jofeph Mede, Mcde. who in his difcourfe of Churches,'pag48,49, 50. faith, [Nay more than this, .itfhould feem that in thofe firff timesbefore Dioceffes were divided into thofe le/fer and fubordinate Churcheswhich we now call Parifhes,and Presbyters algned to them, they had not only one Altar to aChurch or Dominicum, but one Altar to a Church, tall ing Church for the Company or Corporation of thefaithful united under one Bifhop or Peflor and that was in the City or place where the Bifhophad his See and Reftdence. Like as the Jews hadbut one Altar andTemple for the wholeNation, united, under, one Higb.Prirft. And yet, as the Jews had their Synagogues, to perhaps might they have moreOratories than one though their Altar were but one there namely where the B:dhop was. Die folc, faith Juflin- Martyr, omnium qui vel in oppidu vel ruri de- gunt in eundem locum Conventusfit. Namely as he there tells, us to celebrate, and participate the holy Eucharift. Whywas this ? but becaufe they had not manypla- ces to celebrate it in. Andunlefs this werefo, whence came it elfe that a Schifmati- tal Bifhop wasfait!, Conflituere or collocare aliud altare ? And that aBifhop and an Altar are made correlatives? See St. Cyprian, Epiff. 40, 72, 73. de unit. Ecclef. &e. So that Mr. Mode granteth that everyChurch that had a Bishop, hadno more
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