own father, Patriarch,' though he was but bishop of Nazianzum, a very small city in Cappadocia, under Cæsarea, the metropolis. And in his oration before the council of Constantinople, he gives the same title to all other bishops, complaining of the Arian cruelties against them: "Have we not had," says he, "our ancient bishops, or to speak more properly, our patriarchs, publicly murdered by them?" In another place, complaining of the corrupt promotions and practices of some bishops of his age, he thus takes his leave of them: " Valete; insolentes esto; patriarchatus per sortes inter vos distribuite.”—Farewell; go on in your insolence; divide the patriarchal dignities among you; translate yourselves from see to see; set up some, pull down others. Where it is evident he speaks not of patriarchs, properly so called, but only of some ambitious spirits among the bishops, who turned all things into confusion, and did what they pleased with the preferments of the Church. Gregory Nyssen uses the same term for bishops, in his funeral oration upon Meletius, which he made in the council of Constantinople, where he gives all the bishops then in council, the title of patriarchs: “Behold these patriarchs; all these are the sons of our Jacob;" meaning Meletius, whom he calls Jacob, for his age, and the rest patriarchs, in allusion to the twelve patriarchs, who were Jacob's children. Thus bishops were commonly styled, till such times as the name patriarch became the appropriate title of the most eminent bishops, such as Rome, Constantinople, &c. And even some ages after that, de Marca observes, that Athalaricus and the rest of the Gothish kings in Italy gave the name of patriarchs to all bishops within their dominions,

SECT. 10.-And Vicars of Christ.

It must not here be forgotten, that all bishops anciently were styled also, vicars of Christ, and had as much interest in that name as he that has since laid so much claim to

'Naz. Orat. xix. p. 312. Orat. xx. de Laud. Basil. p. 342. Orat. xli. p. 675. 2 Orat. xxxii. p. 525. Naz. Cygn. Carm. de Episcopis, t. ii. p. 308. 5 Marca Dissert. de

Greg. Nyss. Orat. de Fun. Melet. t. iii. p. 589. Primatib. n. xx. p. 112.

the title. The author of the Questions,' under the name of St. Austin, says expressly, "That every bishop is the vicar of God." Cyprian says the same in several of his epistles, "That every bishop is Vice Christi, Christ's vicar or vicegerent." And this is his meaning in that noted passage to Cornelius, where he says, "All heresies and schisms take their original from hence; that men do not submit to God's priest, and consider that there ought to be but one bishop in a Church at a time, and one judge as the vicar of Christ." This is spoken of every individual bishop thoughout the world, as Rigaltius freely owns; and they grossly mistake Cyprian's meaning, and abuse his authority, who apply it only to the bishop of Rome. St. Basil' extends the title to all bishops; and so does the author under the name of St. Ambrose," who is supposed to be Hilary, a deacon of the Church of Rome; which would have been an unpardonable oversight in him, had it not been then the custom of the world to give all others this title, as well as the bishop of Rome.

SECT. 11.-And Angels of the Churches.

I shall but take notice of one title more given to bishops, which is that of angels of the Churches; a name, which some authors' suppose to be used by St. Paul, 1 Cor. xi. 10. where he says, "Women ought to be covered in the Church, because of the angels," that is, bishops, says Hilary, the deacon, in the place last mentioned. And so the same author understands that of St. John, Rev, i. 20. “The seven stars are the angels of the seven Churches;" which is also

Antistitem Dei puriorem cæteris * Cypr, Ep. 63. ad Cæcil.

Aug. Quæst. Vet. et Nov. Test, c. 127. esse oportet.- -Est enim Vicarius ejus. Ille Sacerdos vice Christi verè fungitur, qui id, quod Christus fecit, imitatur. Ep. 55. al. 59. ad Cornel. p. 129. Neque enim aliunde Hæreses obortæ sunt, aut nata sunt schismata, quàm inde quòd Sacerdoti Dei non obtemperatur, nec unus in Ecclesiâ ad tempus Sacerdos, et ad tempus Judex vice Christi cogitatur. * Rigalt. in Loc. Ecce autem Episcopos ævo jam Cypriani

viearios Christi.

Ambr. Com. in 1 Cor. xi. 10.

5 Basil. Constit. Monach. c. 22. t. ii. p. 792. Episcopus Personam habet Christi.--Vi

carius Domini est, &c. The Author of the Constitutions, lib. ii. c. 26. styles 7 Ambrosiaster, ibid. Angelos Episcopos

the bishop Θεὸν ἐπίγειον.

dicit, sicut docetur in Apocalypsi Joannis.

Pseudo-Ambros. in 1 Cor. xi. 10.

the interpretation of St. Austin' and Epiphanius, who say, that by angels we are not there to understand the celestial angels, as Origen thought, who assigns a guardian angel3 to every church, but the bishops or governors of those seven churches. Hence, in after-ages, bishops were called angels of the churches; as Socrates* terms Serapion, who was bishop of Thmuis, "The angel of the Church of Thmuis." And the author of the short notes upon Timothy, under the name of St. Jerom, says of every bishop, "That he is the angel of God Almighty." In this sense, Dr. Hammond observes out of a Saxon MS., that in our own language, anciently, bishops were called God's bydels, that is, messengers, or officers, as he explains it from Sir Henry Spelman's Glossary, in the word Bedellus. And thus much of those ancient titles of honour which were given to all bishops indifferently in the primitive Church.

CHAP. III.

Of the Offices of Bishops as distinct from Presbyters. SECT. 1.-A threefold Difference between Bishops and Presbyters in the Discharge of their Office and Functions.

I come now to consider the episcopal office and function itself; where, to do justice to antiquity, it is necessary for me to observe a threefold distinction, between bishops and presbyters, in the discharge of ecclesiastical offices. For 1st, in the common offices, which were ordinarily entrusted in the hands of presbyters, such as preaching, baptizing, administering the eucharist, &c. there was this obvious difference betwixt a bishop and a presbyter; that the one acted by an absolute and independent power,-the other, in dependence upon, and subordination to, his bishop; by whose authority and directions, under God, he was to be governed,

3

Aug. Ep. 162. Divinâ voce laudatur sub Angeli nomine Præpositus Ecclesiæ. Epiph. Hær. 25. Nicolait. Orig. Hom. 20, in Num. t. i. p. 251. So also Andreas Cæsariens. "Ayyɛλoi púλakɛg. Com. in Apoc. i. + Socrat. lib. iv. c. 23. 5 Hieron. Com. 1 Tim. iii.

20.

Ham. Annot. on Rev. i. 20.

and do nothing without his consent, or against it: so that, though there was no difference in the things that were done, yet there was an essential difference in the power of doing them. This is an observation not commonly made; but it is of very great use, both for establishing the just bounds of episcopal and presbyterial power, and clearing the practice of the primitive Church. 2dly. Some offices were never entrusted in the hands of presbyters; nor allowed, if performed by them; such as the ordination of bishops, presbyters, &c. 3dly. Bishops always retained the power of calling their presbyters to an account, and censuring them for their misdemeanours in the discharge of their office; which presbyters could not do by their bishop, being always subject and subordinate to him as their superior. These things cleared, and set in a fair light, will give us a just account of the offices of a bishop, as distinct from that of a presbyter, in the primitive Church.

Sect. 2.—1. In the common Offices which might be performed by both; the Bishop acted by an Independent Power; but Presbyters in Dependence upon, and Subordination to him.

First then, we are to observe, that in such ordinary and common offices as might be performed by both, bishops and presbyters acted by a different power; the bishop was the absolute, independent minister of the Church, and did whatever he did by his own authority, solely inherent in himself; but the presbyters were only his assistants, authorised to perform such offices as he entrusted them with, or gave them commission and directions to perform, which they still did by his authority, and in dependence upon, and subordination to him as their superior; and might do nothing against his will, or independent of him. This is clear from many passages in Ignatius, Cyprian, and the canons of the ancient councils, which all agree in this,-That nothing is to be done without the bishop; that is, without his knowledge, without his consent, directions, or approbation. Thus Ignatius,' in his epistle to the Church of Smyrna; "Let no

Ignat. Ep. ad Smyrn. n. 8. Μηδεὶς χωρὶς τὸ ἐπισκόπε τι πρασσέτω τῶν ἀνηκόντων εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.

one perform any ecclesiastical office without the bishop;" which he explains, both there and elsewhere,' to mean, without his authority and permission. So, in the council of Laodicea, it is expressed the same way; "The presbyters shall do nothing without the consent of the bishop." The councils of Arles and Toledo say, "without his privity or knowledge." And the Apostolical Canons give a reason for all this: "Because the bishop is the man to whom the Lord's people are committed; and he must give an account of their souls."

SECT, 3.-This specified in the Offices of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper.

This rule they particularly apply to the offices of baptism, and the Lord's supper. A presbyter might ordinarily administer both these sacraments; but not against the will of his bishop, or in opposition or contradiction to him, but by his consent and authority, in a due subordination to him as his superior. "It is not lawful," says Ignatius," "either to baptize, or celebrate the eucharist, without the bishop; but that which he allows is well-pleasing to God." He does not say that none but a bishop might administer these sacraments, but that none was to do it without his allowance and approbation. And that is plainly the meaning of Tertullian and St. Jerom, when they say that presbyters and deacons have no power to baptize without the command and authority of the bishop or chief-priest; and that this is for the honour of the Church, and the preservation of peace and unity. St. Ambrose asserts the same, "That though presbyters do baptize, yet they derive their authority from their superior."

* Con.

1 Id. Ep. ad Polycarp. n. 4. Μηδὲν ἄνευ γνώμης σε γινέσθω. Laodic. can. 56. "Ανευ γνώμης τῷ ἐπισκόπε, Con. Arelat. 1 can. 19. Ut Presbyteri sine conscientiâ Episcoporum nihil faciant. • Con. Tolet, 1. can. 20. Sine conscientiâ Episcopi nihil penitus Presbyteri agere præsumant. 5 Can. Apost. c. 39. Ignat. Ep. ad Smyrn. n. 8. 7 Tertul. de Bapt. c. 17. Dandi jus quidem habet summus Sacerdos, qui est Episcopus: dehinc Presbyteri, et Diaconi; non tamen sine Episcopi Auctoritate, propter Ecclesiæ honorem, quo salvo, salva Pax est. 6 Hieron. Dial. cont. Lucifer. p. 139. Inde venit, ut sine jussione Episcopi, neque Presbyter, neque Diaconus, jus habeant baptisandi. 9 Ambros. de sacram. lib. iii. c. 1.

Licet Presbyteri fecerint, tamen exordium ministerii à summo est Sacerdote.