zS i ;9. Thus was the Apoftles Order by degrees fubverted ; and where- as they fettled diftinft Churches. with their diftina Bithops, no Bishop having- two,Churches under him, (that had notalto their proper Bilbop) now One Church was madeofmany without many Bithops, Ilib-Presbyters firft in the fame Church being introduced, at laft fub-Churches alfowere fet up And when they Ihould have done as we do with Bees, let every new Swarm have a new Hive,.and should have multiplyed Bithops and Churches , homogeneal,. as fufficient numbers of Converts came in, in- Itead of this, the City Bifhopskept all under them as if they had been í1ill mite Church (yet not as Arcitbifhops that have Bishops under them) and kept their fub-Presbyters as their Curates to officiate in the feveral Churches that had all no Bishops but One. q.o. The caufes of this were apparently molt of the fame which are mentioned before for the making of fib- Presbyters : Efpecially, r. The felfi(hnefs of the Bifhops, who were loth to let go any of the people from under their fuperiority : Becaufe it was more honour to rule many than one fingle Congregation ; and he was a greater man that had many fubpresbyters and whole Affemblies at his command, than he that had not: And altomany afforded 'greater maintenance than a few. And 2. the fameReafons that mademen at firft fet upone Presbyter as Bishop over- the reft, to avoid Divifions, and to determine Arbitrations, did now feeni ftrong to them, for the keeping up the Authority of the City Bi- fhop over the fub-Affemblies round about them. 3. And Cities onlyha- ving been poffeffed of Bishops for many Years if not Ages, before there were Chriftians enow to make up Country Churches, both the Bishops and the City Inhabitants, (entity overlooking the Reafon of it) took this for their Prerogative, and did plead Prefcription; As if Schools be- d pft. ing planted only in Cities firft, the Cities and Schoolmafters fhould "' thence plead, that none mutt be fetled in Country Villages, but what . dfor,n are ruled b the City School-Mafters. And thus the Cities being far deforma y Y provincia- the ftrongeft, and the Intereft of the Citizens and Bifhops in point of li, Metro_ honour beingcónjuncì, and none being capable ofa Country charge, but . p°t &c. filch as the City Bifhops at firft Ordained to it (becaufe then there Turctan._ Epift. t were no other Bithops,) without it came to pafs that both pro deer, e. 24, Churches and Presbyters were Subjefted to the City Biíhops. 4. -And Denovita- it greatly advanced this defign that the Churches which were planted te bujus in the Roman Empire, did feekto participate of all fecular honour that forms, leg. belonged to the place of their Refidence : And (as Dr. Hammond hath ;glondel, largelyopened., thou h not well juftified did forni themfelves according eont.Decr. Y p. i. s7. to the Model of theCivil Government :. fo that chafe Cities that had who gis- the Prefidents or chief Civil Rulers and Judicatures in them, did plead eth full aright ofhaving alto the chief Bifhopsand EccieuafticalJudicatures : And thus noton . ly ny cornl Cities ruled the Country Villages,butin time the diftinftpow. of it, Anaclet. ers andpre- eminencesof Arc:lbi(hops, Metropolitans,Primates,Patriarchs, Bt.?. 41. and theRoman chief Patriarch or Pop; came : And the Pagan Common- wealth r
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