take Care of diftrefs'd Chriftians in more than a fingle Congregation? Befides, the Charity of the Church in thofe days, was, among other Uses, to be employ'd for Relief of Banish'd and Captive Brethren, in Mines, in Inlands, in remotest barbarous Countries: In what Senfe did the Bishop perfonally do all this? But I am weary of ferious Reafoning, in fo flight an Objection as this is.

*And yet what follows, I fhou'd lefs expect to meet with from fo judicious a Hand. For he observes, in no less than feventeen or eighteen Inftances here produc'd together, that when the ancient Church - Writers give an Account of fundry publick and folemn A&ts of Discipline in a Diocese, (as Cenfures, Excommunications, Abfolutions, Elections, Ordinations, or the like) they tell us, they were done before the whole Church, before the Multitude, before all the People, by the Suffrage of all the Brotherhood, with the Knowledge, and in the Prefence of the People; and from hence concludes, that all the whole Diocese perfonally met together in one Place upon thefe Occafions, and confequently were no more than cou'd make one fingle Congregation.

And here I cannot but obferve these three Things:

First, That this fingular Construction of such obvious and familiar Forms of Speech as these are, bears very hard upon the common Sense and Language of all Mankind. Can no publick Act of Civil Juftice, or Solemn Miniftration in the

*See Enquiry, &c. p. 22, 23, 24.

the Church amongst us, be faid to pass in the Face of the Country, before all the People, openly and in the Sight of all Men; nay in the Face of the whole World, (as fome will think it no Abfurdity to fay) unless the Matter of Fact will answer to the very Letter of the Phrafe? Are not all Publick or Solemn Acts of Church or State (as to Difcipline and Government) familiarly diftinguifh'd from any others, by fuch a Latitude of Expreffion as this, and no otherwife taken by any Man, (that ever I heard of) than that a general Liberty is given to all, who either can, or will, or are concern'd to be prefent at them, to come and offer what they think Material; to judge, or bear Witness of the Regularity and Juftice of what is done? And if every individual Member of each respective Society were expected to be perfonally prefent at fuch Solemnities as thefe; neither Courts, nor Halls, nor Cathedrals, were ever yet erected, that cou'd answer the Occafions which the Church or State wou'd have for them; and yet no English Author (I'm perfuaded) wou'd think it an Impropriety to fay, that fuch publick Acts of Law or Difcipline as these, were done in the Prefence, Sight and Cognizance of the whole Country, Church, or People; and if no Exceptions, but rather apparent Acclamations were made, (as is not unufual upon fundry fuch Occafions) they wou'd say, they were done with the general Confent, Suffrage, and Approbation of them all. But,

Secondly, That other Way of arguing bears no lefs hard upon the very Language of the Holy Scriptures themfelves; and therefore F 4

there

there is little Reason to faften it on the Writings of the Primitive Fathers, who were the true Guardians and Affertors of them.

What more familiar Phrafe in the whole History of the Law deliver'd by Mofes, and during all the Time of his Government, than that *Mofes himself fpake to all the Congregation of Ifrael, whatfoever the Lord commanded him; nay, even in the Ears of all the Congregation of Ifrael, he is faid to speak the Words of that Song, which he left for a Teftimony amongst them. In what Senfe do we conceive he himself could be faid to speak in the Hearing of fo numerous a Hoft, as the Children of Ifrael then were? At different Times, do we think? or Tribe by Tribe, and by Piece-meals, in his own Person? No, he himself gives us a better Key for the Understanding of fuch Phrafes as thefe: For at the 28th Verfe immediately foregoing, Gather unto me (fays he) the Elders of the Tribes, and the Officers, that I may speak these Words in their Ears, and call Heaven and Earth to record against. them. So that it plainly appears, that whatfoever Mofes fpake in fuch a Manner, and in fuch an Audience, as was fufficient to convey his Words and Precepts to all the Tribes of Ifrael, tho' not immediately from his own Lips, That the Holy Prophet himself thought not improperly exprefs'd, when he faid afterwards, that he spoke them to the whole Congregation of Ifrael. And

* Exod. XXXV. 1, 4. Deut. V. I. xxix. 2. &c. † Deut. XXX. 31.

*And if we can conceive any literal Way of interpreting thefe, and many fuch-like Expreffions in the Holy Bible, fo that fix hundred thousand Men fhould at once be inftructed by the Ministry of one Man, we need difpute no more about the greater or leffer Numbers in the Diocese of a Primitive Church, fince one fuch extraordinary Comment as that would anfwer all for us. But,

Thirdly, To argue more directly ad hominem in this Cafe: If that Way of Reasoning be right, then it will prove the Diocefes of latter Ages, as well as the Ancienteft of them all, to be but meer Congregational Churches too: Compare the Times and Phrafes, and you'll find it to be fo. Our Enquirer tells us from S. Cyprian, that Sabinus was elected Bishop of Emerita by the Suffrage of all the Brotherhood. This was in the Third Age.

Now Theodoret tells us, that Nectarius was made Bishop of Conftantinople † by the Suffrage of the whole City too; and Flavianus made Bishop of Antioch, S the whole Church (as it were with one Voice) giving their Suffrage for him. And this was towards the latter End of the Fourth Age. The like fays Platina of Gregory the Great, that

he

* of like Pbrafes in the New Teftament, fee Matt. iii. 5. Fob. xii. 19. As xvii. 5, c.

De univerfæ fraternitatis fuffragio. Cypr. Ep. 68. p. 6.

+ Πάσης επιψηφιζομβύης ο πόλεως.

§ Πάσης συμψήφο τ Ἐκκλησίας, ὥσπερ διὰ μιᾶς parns Theod. 1, 5. c. 9. p. 211. Paris. 1673. φωνῆς

he was made Bishop of Rome by the || unanimous Confent of all: And again, All the People chofe him, fays Gregory of Tours; and this at the very Clofe of the Sixth Age.

The learned Enquirer again * tells us, (from an African Synod in 258.) that Ordinations fhould be done with the Knowledge, and in the Prefence of the People; that fo they might be Fuft and Lawful, being approv'd by the Suffrage and Fudgment of all, and that accordingly S. Cyprian confulted his People fo: And from hence he infers, that his Diocese could be no more than one Congregation. Now the Roman Prefbyters, in their Letter to Honorius the Emperor, (which was in the Fifth Century) fpeak juft the fame thing in relation to Boniface their Bishop, whom they Chofe and Confecrated in that very Manner. § On a Set Day (lay they calling all to an Affembly, we went to a Church we had all agreed upon, and there conSulting with the Chriftian People, we chose him whom God had order'd, for by the Applause of all the People, and the Confent of the best in the City, we pitch'd upon the venerable Boniface, a Man Ordain'd and Confecrated by Divine Infti

tution.

| Uno omnium confenfu creatur pontifex. Platina in Vit. Greg.

+ Gregorium plebs omnis elegit. Greg. Turon. Hift. Franc. 1. 10. C. I.

* See the Enquiry, P. 24.

Altero die ad Ecclefiam ubi prius ab omnibus tum erat conftitutum, habità omnium collatione, properavimus, ibiq; participato cum Chriftianà plebe confilio, quem Deus juffit elegimus; nam venerabilem virum Bonifacium acclamatione totius populi ac confenfu meliorum civitatis afferuimus, divine inftitutionis ordine confecratum. Baron, An. 419.N. 8. Mag. 1601, p. 442.