(6 ) then the Presbyters were Epifcopi Iregis, and had the true, fiill, Pafforai power as to their Flocks, as aforefaid. So that there were no Bithopsthat yet depofedthe Presbyters as now. Page 125. He faith, - [Neither was this a thing peculiar to the Bilhops of A- lexandria, bxteomnron to others. Ignatius was'Bir,4iop not only of Anti- och, but ofSyria: Irenæus, the BiJhop of Lyons, was Bop ofjthe Churches in France, &c. -AAnf. r." This openeth the former cafe Thefe were not Diocefanes, depofing all the Epifcopos gregn, and become foie Bifhops, but Archbi- fhops that had under them Bithops in each particular Church. Yet note, that it istheFrench Synod ofBifhops whichEufeb. ib. 1 g.c. z ;:Iren.is faid to overfee, asit's Paid, ibid. that Patinas did fo among the Bifhops of Pon- tus in their Synod, and that ViElor was Prefident in the Biíhops Synod at ,Rome, and rheophilus of Caf'rea, and;INTarciffus of .erufalem in the Pale fine Synod : Which isnothing to our cafe. It is further faid that Optatus faith, that in Rome were 40 Churches, and that Theodoret had Soo. Anf, r. It is granted, that in Optatus's days Rome had 40, which is nothing to our cafe inhand, a. In thofe 40 fo late, there were no half Presbyters, but as this Doaor confeffeth, they had not only a joynt pow- er in Governing the Flocks, but inOrdination too. ` 3. I confefs Theodo- re's cafe feemethorange, and though of late date is fo incredible as con- trary, to the .cafe of other Churches, that i do the, rather for that claufe believe that Epiftle toLeò to be a forgery, or corrupted at leaft. And betides this Reafon, I havethefe alfo for it. r. Becaufe he himfelf faith, that Cyrus, where he was Bithop, wasbut twodays journey fromAntioch, HO. Sand. Parr. de ,ixuliano. And he that knowethhowgreat the Diocefs ofAntioch was, will not eafily believe that a Town within two days jour- ney (toMonks that went on foot) was liketo have eight hundred Chur- ches in it at that.time. z. And we know out of .whole atop Theodoret's Epiftles come. Nicephorue faith, he read above 500 of his Epiftles. ' Ru- ronius faith there is a Book in the Vaticane containing 15o of them : Meti- us tranflated thefe into Latine. But faith Rivet. Crit. Sacr. 1- 4. c. zr. p. 455. theReader muft remember that theyhave been kept all this while in the Adverfaries Cabinets, andby them are brought into light and in- .to Latine, fo that they have no authority, further than other 'Hiftorycon- firnaeth them. 3 Efpecially feeing Leontins de Se£lis faith, as Baroni,is confelfeth,. that Hereticks famed Epiftles in Theodoret's name ; And Bel- laminae de fcript. Eccl. mentioneth one that hath his name in Concil. Ephef. that neither Theodoret nor any Chriftian is tobecharged with. 4. And that this one Epiftle.toLeo shouldbecull'd out ofall therat to. be alonePrint edafter Theodoret's Works, theweth thedelign, and what credit is to be given to it. 5. And I thall anon cite muchout of Theodoret himfeif, to thew the improbability that Dìoceffes had then fo many Churches. K a And
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