ftinguish'd from him, fince the Apoftolical Age expir'd) had the Name of Bishop no longer attributed to him in the Language of the Catholick Church. Since Irenaus's Bifhops, then, were still the fame as their Predeceffors were, which the Apostles conftituted at the firft, and fuch as the Church then own'd for Bishops, notwithstanding the Name of Presbyter was apply'd to them What farther Leffening of them could it be, to express their Order, by an Order of the fame Name too? Which is the fecond Circumstance in Ireneus's Words, that our learned Author fo mightily infifts upon? Such as the Perfons were, fuch was their Order to be fure If thefe Presbyters, then, by Name, were genuine Bishops in the Nature and Chara&ter of them; it follows, that the Order of Presbyter, as apply'd to them, was fuch a Bifhop's Order alfo: 'Tis hard, I know, to allow of any other poffible Notion, either of Words or Things, where Time immemorial has faften'd one before; and therefore the Phrase of Presbyter's Order, to Men in our Age, can fcarce ever be thought in any Author to fignify more or less than just what we understand by it now: But if Things may take Place instead of Words and Sounds with us, I think it is clear in this Quotation, that the Orders of a Presbyter here spoken of, are fuch as the Apostles proper Succeffors had in the Senfe and Practice of the Primitive Church. Ireneus declares himself to fpeak of fuch, and I have fhewn what Prerogatives fuch Presbyters originally had, not only of Ruling Power, but of feveral Clerical Acts too, not not common to all the reft; and our Enquirer himself affures us, that a Presbyter promoted to fuch a Bishop's Chair, was firft to receive Impofition of Hands from all the Provincial Bishops, in the Age Irenæus liv'd in. Now fuch fingular Acts of Ecclefiaftical Power conferr'd upon a common Presbyter, (who had them not before) and by fuch a folemn Apoftolical Rite as that was, which the Ancients call'd Ordination, in as plain and exprefs Terms, as they did in the Act of Ordaining Presbyters or Deacons; This, I own, is what I understand by the Bishop's Supreme Order in the Church; and Ireneus, as his Language all along imports, meant nothing lefs by it here, tho' the Name of Presbyter (which in feveral refpects fuited every Order in the Church) was peculiarly affix'd to him.. And as to the Text of Ifaiah, lx. 17. apply'd here, as it was in Clemens Romanus before, I fhall remark only thus much; that Clemens's old Translation of the Place anfwer'd his own Language about the Apoftles ordaining Bishops and Deacons in the Church; for fo his Greek Bible (it seems) had render'd it in the Copies of his Time, and by that Authority he made the Names to be awful and venerable to the Corinthians, as he was endeavouring to do. But Ireneus here, who was fpeaking of Supreme Pref *Clemens's Copy render'd, Ifa. lx. 17. thus. Kalaςήσω του επισκόπος ανα εἰς δικαιοσιώων, καὶ τοὺ δια κόνες ἀν ἐν πίσει. Irenæus ufed the LXX. which renders it thus. Awow του Αρχοντάς σε ἐν εἰρη, καὶ τοὺς ἐπισκόπες σε ἐν δε καιοσιών. Presbyters only, apply'd the Text, as it is in our prefent Tranflation of the LXX. whereby they are render'd by the Names of Princes and Bishops; fo that both Words answer'd the Argument he was upon,which was to enjoin Obedience to the true Supreme Governors of any one Catholick Church; and neither in one Place nor t'other, does it any ways prove, that either of the Fathers understood but two Orders only in the Church; as I conceive may now appear by what I have obferv'd from them. Clemens Alexandrinus (as the laft Evidence) is to clear all; two Paffages to that Purpose are quoted from him: I'll fhew the Occafion of both, that we may judge the better what the Holy Father probably meant by them. Clemens was fetting forth the utmost Advance. ment of a perfect Chriftian under the Title of a complete and true Gnoftick. † He reprefents him as Master of all his Paffions, and then improving in good Works till he becomes equal to an Angel here; and being bright and shining as the Sun, bafrens on thro' his righteous Knowledge, and the Love of God, to a Holy Manfion, as the Apostles did before him: And, on this Occafion, tells us farther, that * every one who exercis'd himself in the Com mand * Μετριοπαθήσας τὰ πρῶτα καὶ εἰς ἀπάθειαν μελε τήσας, αυξήσας τε εἰς ευποιίαν Γνωςικῆς τελειότη ἰσάγγελο μου ναῦθα. Φωτεινὸς ἢ ἤδη καὶ ὡς ἥλιθ λάμπων – σπεύδει ἐπὶ ἢ ἁγίαν μονὴν, καθάπερ οἱ Sosono. Edit. Oxon. Strom. 1. 6. p. 792. * Εξεσιν ἂν καὶ νιώ ταῖς Κυριακαίς ενασκήσαντας ταῖς ἐβολαῖς, καὶ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον τελείως βιωσάντας καὶ Γνωτικῶς, εἰς τῶν ἐκλογὴν τς αποτόλων ἐγγραφῆναι. P. 793. mandments of the Lord, and liv'd as a perfect GnoStick according to the Gospel, might be admitted into the Apoftolick Roll; that is,undoubtedly, in his Seraphick Senfe of it, be as fair a Candidate for Perfection of Happiness hereafter, as an Apostle himself could be, if he was equal to him in Gnoftick Wisdom and Holiness here; Characters and Orders of Men, from the highest to the lowest of them in the Church, (in this View of them) making but little Difference in the Cafe. And to explain himself farther in the Point, he goes on in thefe Words; (which our Enquirer quotes for his Ufe) he is a Presbyter in the Church indeed, (fays he) and a true Deacon of the Will of God, if he does, and teaches, the Things of the Lord; not ordain'd of Men, or therefore thought a righteous Perfon, because made a Presbyter, but becaufe Righteous, therefore chofen into that Presbytery; and although he be not honour'd with the Firft Seat here on Earth, yet fhall hereafter fit down on the twenty four Thrones, judging the People, as S. John fays in the Revelations. The Senfe of this whole Speculation, I think, appears plainly to be this; that, in refpect of true intrinfick Excellency here, and of a Title to perfect Blifs and Happiness hereafter, neither Apostle, Pref byter, * ΟὗτΘ πρεσβύτερος ἔτι τι ὄντι ε ἐκκλησίας κα διάκονΘ ἀληθῆς ἢ τὸ Θεῖ βολήσεως, ἐὰν ποιῇ καὶ δια δάσκη τὰ τὸ Κυρία, ἐκ ὑπ ̓ ἀνθρώπων χειροτονήθ ἐδ ̓ ὅτι πρεσβύτερG, δίκαιΘ νομιζόμθμΘ, ἀλλ' ὅτι δίκαιΘ εν πρεσβυτερίῳ καταλεγόμλνΘ' κἂν ἐπαθο ἐπὶ γῆς πρωτοκαθεδείᾳ μὴ τιμηθῇ ἐν τοῖς εἴκοσι κ τέπαρσι καθεδες θρόνοις, * λαὸν κείνων, ὡς φησὶν ἐν τῇ ἀποκαλύψει Ιωάννης, Ibid. byter, Deacon or Layman, have any great Advantage of one another, by any outward Character, Title, or Difference of Order they may have below, but purely as they excell one another in Christian Vertue, Divine Knowledge, Wisdom and Goodness; and fo are more perfect Chriftian Gnofticks than the reft: And therefore if a Presbyter (in particular) be fuch a qualified Saint as this, tho' he be not honour'd with the First Seat here; that is, (fays he) with as high a Seat as any I have nam'd to you now, which,in plain Connexion with the whole Argument, is with an Apoftolical Chair in the Church, (for an Apostle was one of the Orders, in his Comparison, amongst the rest) yet he shall fit in the twenty four Thrones, judging the People, as S. John speaks in the Revelation; as if he had directly faid, tho' he may not fit in a Bishop's Place, (whofe See Tertullian, cotemporary with Clemens,calls an Apoftolical Chair; and the Church of that Age, I have prov'd above, acknowledg'd Bishops to be their proper Succeffors yet he shall fit (fays S. Clemens) at the Laft Day, among the chiefeft Saints, to judge the World with Chrift; and how the Mentioning of a First Chair of a Presbytery, in the Senfe wherein this Holy Father names it here, fhould imply, that every Presbyter who fat in the Prefbytery alfo, fhould be of equal Order with him who fat the first and highest in it, by this Evidence of Clemens for it, I leave now to the Reader's Judgment on the Place. But this venerable Father affords our Enquirer a farther Testimony for his Caufe; which tho' fome |