(9) éono.r, :- .Ditiaressfi libeat pro foe quifque voluntate conferunt : Ccüeüa deponuntur aped prepofitum : Is fulventpupillis, viduis, propter morbum aliamve neceJr- tatem egentibus, vinl"lis quoque & peregrinis, & in fummacurator fit omnium ino- pum. Thus Juftin Apolog. 2. Where he defcribeth the Church State and Worfhip which we delire, as plainly as we can fpeak our felves. Note here, J: That whether the Country-men and Citizens had feveral Churches or.met iñ one City Chúrch, it theweth that they were but fingle Congregations. Fòr every Church had a prefent Bithop : (For Doftor Hammond maintaineth that by the Prepofitus here is meant the Bithop, and fo do others of them.) 2. This Bithop performed the Offices.of the day, every Lord's day, praying, preach- ing and adminifiring the Lord's Supper, &c." 3. All theAlms of the Church was committed to the Bithop at prefent, (and therefore he had-not many hun- dred or any other Churches under him where Presbyters did all receive the Alms.) 4. He was the common Curator of all the Poor, Orphans, Sick, &c. which could not be for more than one of our Parifhes : (And let the Bi- (hops take as big a Church as they will doall thisfor, and fparenot.) 5. And the Deacons bringing the confecrated Bread and Wine-to the.abfent in token of Communion with the fame Church and Bithop, fheweth that..there were. not under him many ether abfent, Congregations, that had nd other Bithop of their own : Nor did, the Deaconcarryit to.fuch Congregations through the Diocefs. Ina word, here is a full defcription ofa. Congregational Churchand Bithop. Saith Mailer Meele before cited; of thefe words, [ As the Yews had their Sy- nagogues, fo perhaps might they.háve more Oratories than one ; though their Altar were but one, there namely. where the Bifhop was. Die foils omnes, &c. {here he cites thefe.words,)-Namely ashe there tells us, to celebrate and participate of the HolyEuchärift: Why was this ? but becaufe they had not many places to- cele- brate in.) V. Tertullian is as plain and full: Apol. c. 39. Corpus fumusde confcientia reli- gions, & difcipline unetate, & fpeifcedere : Coimus in Catum, & Congregatio:: nem, ut ad Deum quaffmanufalta precátionibus ambiamus orantes - Cogimur ad divinarum literarum commeníorationem. Certe fidem fanïis vocibus pafcimus fpem erigimus, fiduciamfigimus, dfiiplinam preceptorum nihilominus inculcationibus denfamus.. Ibidemetiam'exhortationes, caftigationes, & confora divina.. Nam & judicator magno cum pondere, ut apudcertes de Dei confeliu ; fummeemque futuri judiéü peejudicium eft, fiquis ita deliquerit, ut. a Communicatione orations & Con ventus & onseis Santli Commercii relegatur : Preftdent probati pique Seniores,. &e: And de CoronaMilit. cap. 3,. Euehariflie Sacramentum, & in tempore villus, & omnibus mandatum a domino, etiam antelucanis cetibus ; nec de, aliorum manse quam prefidentium fumirous. And further, [Aquarn adituri itidem,, fed & aliquando Arius in Eeclefla fob ,. antiftitis manu conteftamur, nos renunciare Diabolo & pompe & angelis.ejus.] n thefewords (and many more fuch in Tertulllian) it is evident, r. That . then a:Church was, a Congregation. met for holy. Worfhip, and not L'nany hunk . dred.:
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