felves. He begins with Ireneus; for thus (fays he) that is, in the Sense which I have given you of a Primitive Church, Irenaus mentions that Church which is in any Place ( ea quæ eft in quoque loco Ecclefia, or rather, in quoquo loco, as I find it in Iren. 1. 2. c. 56.) Now this, I must confefs, is a very dark Authority to me, to prove what kind of Church that holy Father meant by it: If there be any Confequence in it, to the Purpose it is here brought for, it must needs lie in these two plain Words (quoquo loco) in any Place; and from them, as far as I am able to imagine, it can no otherwise be inferr'd, than one of these two ways; either firft, That there was no other particular Church at that Time to be in any Place whatsoever, but juft fuch an one as this learned Author here quotes this Place to prove for him, which would be fuch a fingular Fallacy in Reasoning (if he should ap ply it in that Senfe) as I can't fuppofe our ingenious Enquirer can be guilty of: Or elfe, fecondly, it must be, that the Word Place has fuch a fcanty Notion neceffarily tyed to it, that it would have been no Senfe in that learned Father to have meant a larger Circuit by it, than that of an ordinary Meeting-House in our modern Phrase: For, if Place be fuch an Affection of Bodies, as conforms itself to every Dimension of the Thing that is apply'd to it, (as I think both Naturalifts and Logicians will warrant us to fay) then to be faid to be in any Place, unless the particular Measure of that Place were expreft too, adds nothing in the B 3 leaft leaft to prove of what Extent that Thing is. So that Irenaus's Church in any Place, was fuch a fort of Church, to be fure, as they then understood a Chriftian Church to be; but whether Parochial, Diocefan, Provincial, or any other kind whatsoever, as to the Extent or Circuit of it, is not one jot the clearer to me, by his calling it a Church in any Place, tho' our more-difcerning Enquirer (it feems) faw his own Scheme fo visibly lie in it. His Second Inftance of fuch a Primitive Church, as he has defin'd for us, is taken from an Expreffion of Dionyfius Alexandrinus, when he was banish'd to Cephro in Lybia, I'll give it in his own Tranflation, * There came so many Chriftians to him (fays he) that even there he had a Church. Here was a Chriftian Church, it feems, and that in a ftreight Place of Banishment too; tho' had it been tranflated a Chriftian Affembly only, I am fure no Wrong had been done to the Original Word; but I fha'n't infift on that. It is concluded, (by applying it in this Place) that it needs muft be fuch a Church as could meet together for religious Worship in one Place only, and no otherwise. I confefs, it may be fo; and that will prove but little, that this Ancient Father had no other Notion of a particular Chriftian Church, than fuch an one as this; or, even that he meant it fo, in this very Quotation itfelf; for, by looking a little farther on in this *Dionyf. Alex. apud Eufeb. 1. 7. c. 11. p. 259. IXτὴ σωςποδήμησεν Ἐκκλησία, this continued Relation of his, I think it will evidently appear, that he makes his own particular Church a quite different Thing from it. This I fhall confider by and by; only let me firft leave one fhort Remark or two upon this little Church at Cephro. Dionyfius himself calls it (in our Author's own Quotation) woaan 'Ennanoía, that is, in true English, I think, a pretty numerous Church at leaft: Valefius, in his Tranflation, calls it, magna multitudo Fidelium, A great Multitude of Believers. Dionyfius farther fays, it confifted of a threefold Concourfe of Chriftians; 1ft, of all the Brethren that came from Alexandria to him; 2dly, of others that came out of Egypt thither; and, 3dly, which I think is worth confidering, he tells us, that before he left the Place, in iniyor, not a few of the Heathens left their Idols, and came over to his Church. Not a few, indeed, we have reafon to believe, fince the humble Confeffor himself ventures to speak, as the holy Apoftle did upon the like Occafion, that God had open'd a Door to him there to propagate the Gospel amongst them, and he thought he had fent him thither for that very Purpose to convert them. All this amounts not (I own) to an unquestionable Certainty of more than a single Congregation at Cephro, and I have no Occafion to defire it fhould; but I think it bids fo fair for it, that it looks like little Choice of Authorities in the Cafe, when we fearch for fuch an one as this, to prove that a particular Church in that Age confifted of no more. But the Truth is, (and I defire it may be noted all along in this Difcourfe) that the Point in question does not lie here; Whether there was a Church in that Place (or, indeed, in any other) that de facto had but One Congregation to denominate it fo; for who doubts but at the firft Conversion of the Heathen World, the Number of Believers in fome particular Places, might not for fome time amount to more than that; and Records of many particular Churches afterwards might be wanting (as our learned Enquirer argues upon a like Occafion in the 148 Page of this Treatife) to fet forth the entire State and Condition of fuch Primitive Churches to us? But the true Question is, Whether if more Congregations than One, had been actually gather'd or converted in any Place whatfoever, and exercised their Offices of Divine Worship in distinct and feparate Places from one another, fo that their first, proper, and chief Paftor could not be able perfonally to attend the Service of them all; whether the Property, I fay, muft in fuch cafe be alter'd, and they could no longer be One Church, or be fubject to one and the fame fupreme Ecclefiaftical Governor, (call him what we please ) but must of neceffity be formed then into more particular independent Churches, and a fupreme Paftor, unaccountable to the other, (or to any elfe) must have prefided over each of them, and denominated them as many particular Churches, as there were fingle Affemblies that met together to celebrate the Ordinances of the Chriftian Church. This, I humbly conceive, our learned Enquirer fhould have proved from this, or any other other Authorities he produces hereafter in defence of his own Opinion, if he meant effectually to fupport his fundamental Scheme by them. And fince it no where does appear from one end of his elaborate Enquiry to the other, that he has done fo, I must needs fay this is fuch a fundamental Defect, as renders the whole Performance of very little use to that pious Design he profeffes in it, of reconciling Differences about the Constitution of the Primitive Church. But 'tis time I make my Promise good, and fhew that Dionyfius himself meant no fuch Church, even in this very Narrative of his, as he is here quoted for And this will require that a short Account be first given of the present Condition that holy Confeffor was then in. The Cafe was thus; the perfecuting Governor of the Province, breathing out greater Threatnings ftill against the banish'd Chriftians, order'd them all to be removed into the inhospitable Region of Marcotis, and particularly affign'd the Quarters of Dionyfius himself at a Place called Colluthio; the Holy Bishop was troubled at the Thoughts of this Change; for tho' he knew that Region better than he did the other, yet they talk'd of it as if there were fmall Hopes of many Chriftian Brethren, or indeed of any fort of good Men to be found there. But fome of the Faithful about me (fays he) comforted me in this Distress: And what were the Arguments of Comfort that they offer'd to him? Why, they put me in mind (fays he) of this, that Colluthio was a Place nearer to the City (of Alexandria) ftill, and tho' I had fuch Concourfe of Brethren at Cephro (fays he) that I could τυτέρων |