39 / 504
A
Preface
to the Reader.
to
it
when the reafon
of
it fhall
be a
little weighed
and
confidered. The
fumme
is
,
that
the
name Church
,
in
the fingular number
,
is
never ufed
,
but when it relates
to
the
tingle
congregation
,
in
or
of one
City
,
or Towne.
That of
Churches
refpeding
the
feo.
veral
Churches, or
Congregations
that
were
gathered
in
any Country
or
'Province
;manifeft
then
is
it from hence,
that
there
is
in
the
new
Teftament
no
Church
of
one
denomination
be-
yond
a
frngle
congregation
;
And where there are more they are
alwaies called Churches
;
how evidently this
is
deftruelive
to
any
Diocefan
,
or Metropolitical Officer
,
who hath no
Church
left him
thereby
,
ofChrift's
Inftitution to
be
related
to
, an
other opportunity
will
manifeft. For the prefent let
us
fee
what
ufe
our
Dotionr makes
of
this obfervation.
Sell:
3.
Sayes he
?udea and the reit
ofthe
places
where Churches are mentioned
,
are
the
names
of
Provinces,
47.exrw,,
quatenas
ea
neieotr:oss
dlateil.7Fw
contrail;
linguntur.
But
if
the
Dollourtakes thefe
words
in an Eccle
/iaflical fenfe,he beggs
that
which
will
upon
fuch
un-
worthy
termes never
be
granted
him
;
If
no
more
be
intended,
but that
udaa
,Galatia,
and
the
like names
ofCountryes,were
Provinces wherein
were
many
Churches; Smyrna, ephefus,
of
Townes
and Citties, wherein there
was
but
one.
We grant
it
with
him
:
And
how much
that
Conceflion
of
ours
is
to
his
advantage bath
been
intima-
ted.
And
this feemes
to
be
his
intendment
by his
following words
, provinciarum
in-
quarn in quibxa
plurima civitates
fingulie
fingnlarum Ecclefiarum
fedes
,
comprehendebantur,
ideeg3
Ecclefi.e
in
plural,
ifliuefive
iflitu provincis,dìcevda,well,whatthen?
cum tamest
unagnsg,
civitas,
cum
territorio
fbi
adjnnllo
(nñp,}l)
ab
Epifcopofxoadminiflrats,
fingxlarrs
&cclefia
dr-
cenda
fit
:
ideoq quod
ear
Lwr.nnoíav
fat1um dicirur,
AEI:
14.
25:
i
nr
siv fieri
jubetUr,
Tit;
r.
5.
that
in
every City
there
was
a
fingular
Church in
thofe Provinces
(I
(peak
of
thofe where
any
number were
converted
to
the faith )
I
grant,
for the annexed Territories let the DoEour
take
care:There being one Church
at
Corinth, and
an
other at
Cenchrea. So
that
every tingle
City,
had it's own tingle
Church, with
its
Bifhops in
it,
as
at
Philippi.
The
paffage
mentio-
ned by
the Doëíour, concerning the
Epiftle
of
Dionyfrm
to the Church at
Goryna in
Creel,
is
very
little to
his
purpofe: neither
doth
he call
Philip
the Bithop
of
that Church, the
Bithop
of all the
other
Churches
in
Creel,
as
the
Dot-lour
intimates:but the
Bithop
of
them
to whom
efpecially and
eminently
he
wrote.
Sell:
4.
Application
is
made
of
the
fore mentioned
Obfervation.
SeF`I:
2, and the Inter-
pretation
given
of
it
Seal
:
3,
in
thefe
words; His
fic
pots'
tes,
illud
flatim fequitur
nr
(in
imperil
cognition
)
in
provinciâ
quolibet, cam plures
V
rbes
fins,
ums
Comex
primaria,
E
principalis cot-
fend.;
crac,
itnapónonis
idro
dicîa, cui indem inferiores
relique civitátesfubjiciebantxr,
at
ervitsti-
bin regions
,
lit
&
inter
Ecclefiat
,
&
Cathedras
Epifcop,elcs
unamtemper primariam
(Me-
tropoliricam
fuiffe.
In this Seálion
the
:Dolloser
bath
moll ingenienfly
s
and truly given
us
the
rife
and occation
of
his
Diocrfan, and Metropolitical Prelates
,
from"the
aimes of men
to accomodate
Ecclef-
afical,or
Church-affaires
to
the
ltate
and condition
of
the
civil
Goverment
,
and
diftributions
of
Provinces, Metropolitan Cities, & chiefTomnes
within the
fever
al
dependencies,(
the neigh-
boring
Villages being
call
in
as
things
of
no
great
efteem
,
to
the lot
of
the next contiderable
Towne,and
feat
of
Judicature,)did the
Hierarchy
which
he
fo
feduloully
conrendeth for arife:
what
Advantage were afforded to the
worke,
by
the
paucity
of
Believers in
the
villages , and
lefs
Townes(from whichat length, the whole body
of
Heathenifh Idolaters
were
denominated
Pagans
)
the
fiat
planting of Churches in the
greater
Cities ,
the
Eminence
of
the
officers
of
the
firfl
Churches
in
thole Citties, the
weaknels
of
many
rural
Rifhops,the
multiplying and
growing
in numbers
and perlons
of
gifts,
abilities
and
conlderable
fortunes
,
and employ-
ments
in
this world,
in
the MetropolitanCities
,
with their
fame
thereby, the tradition
of
the
abode
of
fome, one or
ether
of
the Apoftles
in
fuch
Cities, and Churches,with the
eminent
Accommodation at the adminiftration
of
civil7urifdillion,& other
Affaires,which appeared
in
that
fubordination and dependency whereunto the
Provinces, chief Ciries,and Territories in
the
Remane
Empire were
caft,with which opportunities Sathan
got
by
thefe
meanes, to
intro-
duce
their
waies,
flute, pompe,
words,
phrafes,termes
of
honour
of
the world into the Chur-
ches
inlenfibly
getting ground
upon them
,
and prevailing
to
their declenfion from the
na-
ked
bmpliciry
eï preity,wherein they were firft planted,fome
other Occalon
may
giveAdvan-
tage for
us
to manifefl:for the
prefent it may fuffice
that
it
is
granted
that
the Magnifiek,Hie-
rarchie
of
the
Church
,
atole
from the
accommodation
of
it's
flare and
condition
of
the
Ron
mane
Empire,and
Provinces. And tins in
the inflames ofafter
Ages
that
might
be
produced,
will
eafily be
made
yet
farther
evident
;
In
thole
fhamefeil,
or
indeed
rather
faamele
/s
Contests,
whichfell
out among
the
Bithops
of
the
third
Century
,
anddownWard,about
precedency,titlis
of