( 22 ) great Cities had many Parifh Churches, and the CountryVillages about had tome ; fo that now about 400 or Soo;Yearsafter Chrift, molt Bifhops ofgreat Cities had moreChurches than one, even feveral fubAffemblies, and Altars, as dependant on their Mother Church. 44. Yet weretheir Dioceffes (whch atfirft were called Parifhes) fome- what bounded, by the Canon and Edi&s, whichdecreed that every City where there were Chriftians enow to make a Church, Ihould have aBi,. fhop of their own, and that no Bifhop (except two, who borderedone on Scitleia a rude unconverted Countrey, and the other on the like cafe, of which more in due place.) 45. And thenevery oppidum or populousTown, like ourMarket-Towns andCorporations, was called marts, a City, and not only a fewamongma- ny that have that name by priviledge, as it is in England now. So that evenat thisheight of Prelacy, about Soo, Pooor 700 Years after Chrift, theywere but as ifevery Corporation or Market-Town in England had a Bishop, who ruled alto the adjacentVillages. For though when they be- gan to Ewell, it was once decreed by one Council, that Villages and every fmall City fhould nothave aBifhop, leftthe Nameofa Bifhop fhould grow vile or cheap ; yet this wasbut with this addition, [thole Villagesor (mall Cities where therewas not a fufficient number of Chriftians: ] (whereas Gregoryat Neocefarea thought feventeen a fufficient number to have a Bi- fhop.) Andthe Canons, that every City Ihouldhave a Bithop, remained ftill in force. 45. Yetwas it for about 44o Years fo far from thefe great Bifhops to ufurp the Sword, orany coerciveor coattive power, on mens Bodies or E- Rates, that they unanimoufly held that the Magiftrate himfelf was not to punithmens Bodies for Heretic or a falfeReligion. Till at laic the bloody violenceofthe Circunwellian Donatifts, did caufe Augufline in this tochange his mind, and think them meet for the Magiftrates coercion. 46. WhenBifhops grewcarnal and ungodly, and more regarded the keeping up their Power, Parties andOpinions, than Charity, they began- todiftruft the Spiritual Weapons of their warfare; and infteadof true vigilancy againft errours, and confutation of them, by clear reafon and a holy life, they fled to the Rulers to do it by theSword. But though ¡cha- Am- cius andNachos with their Synod ofBifhops, excited Maximus to take this yr,f courfeagainft the Prifcilïanifls; yet not only St. Martyn did therefore to Baron, thedeath avoid their Synodsand Communion, and petitioned the Empe- rour, for theHereticks peace; but even Sr. Ambrofe alfoat Milan would have no Communion with thofe Bithops, that had done this thing. 47. About the Year 430, or after, Cyril at Alexandriadid lead the way, and aEtually ufed theSword againft theLives, Matesand Liberties of Of- fenders : An example which others quickly followed : And eafily did he ftep from thegreat Judicial Power before defcribed, to a forcing power, the preparations being fogreat, and the Emperour fo ready to exalt them, and the people of Alexandria fo turbulent and inclinedby pride and paflion to filchways. 48. As
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