ratus, desiderabat episcopatum;" "He would not stay in the order of a presbyter, but desired a bishoprick.”—“ Ordo episcoporum quadripartitus est, in patriarchis, archiepiscopis, metropolitanis, et episcopis," saith St. Isidore; "Omnes autem superius designati ordines uno eodemque vocabulo episcopi nominantur." But it were infinite to reckon authorities, and clauses of exclusion, for the three orders of bishops, priests, and deacons; we cannot almost dip in any tome of the councils, but we shall find it recorded: and all the martyr bishops of Rome did ever acknowledge and publish it, that episcopacy is a peculiar office and order in the church of God; as is to be seen in their decretal epistles, in the first tome of the councils. I only sum this up with the attestation of the church of England, in the preface to the book of ordination: "It is evident to all men diligently reading holy Scripture and ancient authors, that from the apostles' times there have been these orders of ministers in Christ's church, bishops, priests, and deacons." The same thing exactly, that was said in the second council of Carthage*; τρεῖς βαθμοὺς τούτους, φημὶ δὲ, ἐπισκόπους, πρεσβυτέρους, nai Sianóvous. But we shall see it better, and by more real probation, for that bishops were a distinct order, appears by this: SECTION XXIX. To which the Presbyterate was but a Degree. 1. THE presbyterate was but a step to episcopacy, as deaconship to the presbyterate; and therefore the council of Sardis decreed, that no man should be ordained bishop, but he that was first a reader, and a deacon, and a presbyter, iva καθ ̓ ἕκαστον βαθμὸν εἰς τὴν ἀψίδα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς, κατὰ προκοπὴν diabñvai Suvnbein: "That by every degree he may pass to the sublimity of episcopacy.” Εξει δὲ ἑκάστου τάγματος ὁ βαθμὸς dè οὐκ ἐλαχίστου δηλονότι χρόνου μῆκος, &c. " But the degree of every order must have the permanence and trial of no small h Hist. Tripart. lib. xi. o. 5. Etymol. lib. vii. c. 12. 66 66 time." Here there is clearly a distinction of orders and ordinations, and assumptions to them respectively, all of the same distance and consideration; and Theodoret, out of the synodical epistle of the same council, says, that they complained that some from Arianism were reconciled, and promoted from deacons to be presbyters, from presbyters to be bishops, calling it usilova Balμòv, ‘a greater degree,' or 'order:❜ and St. Gregory Nazianz, in his Encomium of St. Athanasius, speaking of his canonical ordination and election to a bishoprick, says, that he was chosen being ayaotos," most worthy,” and πᾶσαν τὴν τῶν βαθμῶν ἀκολουθίαν διεξελθών, “ coming through all the inferior orders." The same commendation St. Cyprian gives of Cornelius: "Non iste ad episcopatum subito pervenit, sed per omnia ecclesiastica officia promotus, et in divinis administrationibus Dominum sæpè promeritus ad sacerdotii sublime fastigium cunctis religionis gradibus ascendit; et factus est episcopus à plurimis collegis nostris, qui tunc in urbe Româ aderant, qui ad nos literas de ejus ordinatione miserunt." Here is evident, not only a promotion, but a new ordination of St. Cornelius to be bishop of Rome; so that "now the chair is full," saith St. Cyprian; "et quisquis jam episcopus fieri voluerit, foris fiat necesse est, nec habeat ecclesiasticam ordinationem," &c.: "No man else can receive ordination to the bishoprick.” SECTION XXX. There being a peculiar Manner of Ordination to a Bishoprick. 2. THE ordination of a bishop to his chair was done 'de novo,' after his being a presbyter; and not only so, but in another manner than he had, when he was made priest. This is evident in the first ecclesiastical canon that was made after Scripture". Επίσκοπος χειροτονείσθω ἀπὸ επισκόπων δύο ἢ τριῶν· πρεσβύτερος ὑπὸ ἑνὸς επισκόπου χειροτονείσθω, καὶ διάκονος, καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ κληρικοί: “ A priest and deacon must be ordained of one bishop, but a bishop must be ordained by two or three at least." And that we may see it yet more to be apostolical, c Epist. 52. a Can. Apost. 1. et 2. b Lib. v. c. 8. St. Anacletus, in his second epistle, reports, " Hierosolymitarum primus episcopus B. Jacobus à Petro, Jacobo, et Johanne apostolis est ordinatus." Three apostles went to the ordaining of St. James to be a bishop, and the self-same thing is in words affirmed by Anicetus': "Ut in ore duorum, vel trium stet omnis veritas ;" and St. Cyprian observes, that when Cornelius was made bishop of Rome, there happened to be many of his fellow-bishops there, "et factus est episcopus à plurimis collegis nostris, qui tunc in urbe Româ aderant." These collegia' could not be mere priests; for then the ordination of Novatus had been more canonical than that of Cornelius, and all Christendom had been deceived; for not Novatus, who was ordained by three bishops, ---but Cornelius, had been the schismatic, as being ordained by priests, against the canon. But here I observe it for the word 'plurimis,' there were many' of them at that ordination. In pursuance of this apostolical ordinance, the Nicene fathers decreed, that a bishop should be ordained inò wávtav Tāv ev tỹ wapomig, "by all the bishops in the province," unless it be in case of necessity; and then it must be done by three being gathered together, and the rest consenting; so the ordination to be performed. The same is ratified in the council of Antioch, Ἐπίσκοπον μὴ χειροτονεῖσθαι δίχα συνόδου, καὶ παρουσίας τοῦ ἐν τῇ μητροπόλει τῆς ἐπαρχίας· “ A bishop is not to be ordained without a synod of bishops, and the presence of the metropolitan of the province." But if this cannot be done conveniently, yet however it is requirede, μετὰ τῆς τῶν πλειόνων παρουσίας, ἢ ψήφου γίνεσθαι τὴν κατάστασιν: "the ordinations must be performed by many." The same was decreed in the council of Laodicea, can. 12., in the thirteenth canon of the African code, in the twenty-second canon of the first council of Arles, and the fifth canon of the second council of Arles, and was ever the practice of the church; and so we may see it descend through the bowels of the fourth council of Carthage to the inferior ages. "Episcopus quum ordinatur, duo episcopi ponant, et teneant evangeliorum codicem super caput, et cervicem ejus, et uno super eum fundente benedictionem, reliqui omnes episcopi qui adsunt, manibus suis caput ejus tangant." b Epist. Unica. c Can. 4. d Can. 19. e Can. 12. The thing was catholic and canonical. It was "prima, et immutabilis constitutio;" so the first canon of the council of Epaunum calls it: and, therefore, after the death of Meletius, bishop of Antioch, a schism was made about his successor, and Evagrius's ordination condemned; because præter ecclesiasticam regulam fuerit ordinatus:" " it was against the rule of Holy Church." Why so? "Solus enim Paulinus eum instituerat, plurimas regulas prævaricatus ecclesiasticas. Non enim præcipiunt ut per se quilibet ordinare possit, sed convocare universos provinciæ, sacerdotes, et præter per tres pontifices ordinationem penitus fieri interdicunt." Which because it was not observed in the ordination of Evagrius, who was not ordained by three bishops, the ordination was cassated in the council of Rhegium. And we read, that when Novatus would fain be made a bishop, in the schism against Cornelius, he did it "tribus adhibitis episcopis," saith Eusebius: "he obtained three bishops," for performance of the action". 6 Now, besides these apostolical and catholic canons and precedents, this thing, according to the constant and united interpretation of the Greek fathers, was actually done in the ordination of St. Timothy to the bishoprick of Ephesus: "Neglect not the grace that is in thee by the laying on of the hands of the presbytery." The Latin fathers expound it abstractly, viz., to signify the office of priesthood, that is, 'neglect not the grace of priesthood, that is in thee by the imposition of hands;' and this Erasmus helps, by making 'presbyterii' to pertain to gratiam,' by a new interpunction of the words; but however, presbyterii,' with the Latin fathers, signifies ́presbyteratus,' not 'presbyterorum;' and this presbyteratus' is, in their sense, used for episcopatus' too. But the Greek fathers understand it collectively, and πρεσβυτερίου is put for πρεσβυτέρων not simply such, but bishops too, all agree in that, that episcopacy is either meant in office, or in person. Πρεσβυτέρους τοὺς ἐπισκόπους φησίν ; so Ecumenius: and St. Chrysostom, où wegì wpeobutéρv nov ἐνταῦθα, ἀλλὰ περὶ ἐπισκόπων: so Theophylact; so Theodoret. The probation of this lies upon right reason and catholic tradition; for, f A. D. 509. 8 Theodoret, lib. ix. c. 44. Cap. 1, 2. Hist. lib. vi. c. 33. SECTION XXXI. To which Presbyters never did assist by imposing Hands. "6 6 3. THE bishop's ordination was peculiar, in this respect, above the presbyter's; for a presbyter did never impose hands on a bishop. On a presbyter they did, ever since the fourth council of Carthage; but never on a bishop. And that was the reason of the former exposition. By the 'presbytery' St. Paul means bishops,' où vàg of wрEσCUTEPOL EXEIROγὰρ πρεσβύτεροι ἐχειρο τόνησαν τὸν ἐπίσκοπον: “ presbyters did not impose hands on a bishop," and, therefore, presbyterium' is not a college of mere presbyters, for such could never ordain St. Timothy to be a bishop. The same reason is given by the Latin fathers, why they expound presbyterium' to signify episcopacy.' For, saith St. Ambrose, "St. Paul had ordained Timothy to be a bishop; unde, et quemadmodum episcopum ordinet, ostendit. Neque enim fas erat, aut licebat, ut inferior ordinaret majorem;" so he; and subjoins this reason, "Nemo enim tribuit quod non accepit." The same is affirmed by St. Chrysostom, and generally by the authors of the former expositions, that is, the fathers both of the east and west. For it was so general and catholic a truth, that priests could not, might not, lay hands on a bishop, that there was never any example of it in Christendom till almost six hundred years after Christ, and that but once, and that irregular, and that without imitation of his successors, or example in his It was the case of Pope Pelagius the First": "Et dum non essent episcopi, qui eum ordinarent, inventi sunt duo episcopi, Johannes de Perusio, et Bonus de Ferentino, et Andreas presbyter de Ostiâ, et ordinaverunt eum pontificem. Tunc enim non erant in clero, qui eum possent promovere;" saith Damasus": "It was in case of necessity, because there were not three bishops, therefore he procured two, and a priest of Ostia to supply the place of the third," that three, according to the direction apostolical, and canons of Nice, Antioch, and Carthage, make episcopal ordination. The church of Rome is concerned in the business to make antecessors. a A. D. 555. b In Libr. Pontificali. Vit. Pelag. 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