ImperialShapeof the Churches, which are now lawful, and were Iàwful, and ordinarily praatifed before : Paul Kneeled and Prayed on the Lord's day, Aïls zo: Ow. Therefore the placing ofBifhops inCountryParilhes was not unlawful before, becaufe the CouncilsofBifhops afterward forbad it, norwas it ever unlawfulbyGods Law. Methinks a Bifhop that fubfcri- beth to the 39 Articles-of the Churchof England, which mentioneth Ge- neral Councils erring, even in mattersof Faith, thould never have affect- ed that theycannot erre in matter of Government, nor retract and alter that whichwas well pra6tifed before them. His next Argument is this, Iftherewere any Parifh Bishops then, they weretheChorepifcopi , But the Chorepifcopi were not fuch. flnf. a. I deny the Major : There were thenmanyCityBifhops that were but Parifh Bishops, or had but one Church, as Shall- be further proved. z. Yet as to agreat number it is granted that their Dioceffes had many Churches, at the time of Concil. Eliber. Sardis. &c. which he mentioneth. But it followethnotthat therefore it was fo with any in the time of Isms. tins or with many inCyprian'stime. 3. If it wereall granted de fallo, it will not follow, that de jure, itwas well done, and that the old Form was not Sinfully changed. 4. The Chorepifcopi themfelves might have many Congregations under them, like our Chapels, andyet be Parish Bifhops ; And it'smolt probable that at firftthey had nomore than oneof onr Coun- tryParifhes, though afterwards they hadmany Churches under them, as CityBishops had. His next Argument is, [Churches endued with Power Ecclefiaflical, fuffici- ent for the Government of themfelves, having alto a Bijhop andPresbytery, had thepower of Ordination : But Country Parifhes badnot the Power of Ordination Ergo, &c. ,e of r. Government is Inferiour or Superiour : They might have fuf i- rient Inferiour power of Government, though they had none ofthe Supe- riour power, filch as belongeth to Archbilhops, to whom Appeals were made: As aCorporation.that bath a Mayor and Affiftants hath fufficient Inferiour power, but not Regal, nor fuch as Judges, Lord Lieutenants, &c. have. And if it were proved, (as fome hold) that only General, or UnfixedMinifiers, like theApostles, and Evangelifts, or Archbithops that were over manyChurches, had the power ofOrdination, and not the In- feriour BifhopsofSingle Churches, it would not follow that thefe Inferiour Bifhops had not the power of Governing their own Churches with affilt- ingPresbyters : And if he will prove for us, that every fixed Bifhop hath the power of Ordination, who hath but the Inferiour power of Govern- inghis tingle Church, by Admonitions, Excommunications, and A.bfoiu- tions, he will but do our work for us. z. I deny his Minor Propof. If by [Country Parifhesj he mean [the 'Whopsof Country Parilhes] they had the Power of Ordination : And all that he faith againll it, is only to prove, that de fallo, they had not the ,Exercife of it in the times he mentioneth, and that de jure humano, it was not
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