et Primatibus, &c. In Isidore, and in Venerable Bede " His words are these: "Sicut duodecim apostolos formam episcoporum exhibere simul et demonstrare nemo est qui dubitet: sic et 72 figuram presbyterorum gessisse sciendum est, tametsi primis ecclesiæ temporibus, ut apostolica Scriptura testis est, utrique presbyteri, et utrique vocabantur episcopi, quorum unum scientiæ maturitatem, aliud industriam cura pastoralis significat. Sunt ergo jure Divino episcopi à presbyteris prælatione distincti :" "As no man doubts but apostles were the order of bishops; so the seventy-two of presbyters, though at first they had names in common. Therefore, bishops by Divine right are distinct from presbyters, and their prelates or superiors."

SECTION XI.

And particularly of St. Peter.

To the same issue drive all those testimonies of antiquity, that call all bishops, ex æquo,' successors of St. Peter. So St. Cyprian: "Dominus noster, cujus præcepta metuere et observare debemus, episcopi honorem et ecclesiæ suæ rationem disponens in evangelio, loquitur et dicit Petro, Ego tibi dico, quia tu es Petrus, &c. Inde per temporum et successionum vices, episcoporum ordinatio et ecclesiæ ratio decur rit, ut ecclesia super episcopos constituatur," &c. "When our blessed Saviour was ordering his church, and instituting episcopal dignity, he said to Peter: Thou art Peter, and on this rock will I build my church.' Hence comes the order of bishops, and the constitution or being of the church, that the church be founded upon bishops," &c.

The same also St. Jerome intimates, "Non est facile stare loco Pauli, tenere gradum Petri:" "It is not a small thing to stand in the place of Paul, to obtain the degree of Peter"." So he, while he dissuades heliodorus from taking on him the great burden of the episcopal office. "Pasce oves meas," said Christ to Peter; and "Feed the flock of God, which is,

1 Habetur Can. in Novo distinct. 21. Lib. iii. c. 15. super Lucam.

⚫ Epist. 1.

In Synod. Hispal.

* Epist. 27. ad Lapsos,

amongst you," said St. Peter, to the bishops of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. "Similia enim successoribus suis Petrus scripsit præcepta," saith Theodoret : "St. Peter gave the same precepts to his successors, which Christ gave to him." And St. Ephrem, speaking of St. Basil, the bishop of Cæsarea Cappadocia, "Et sicut rursus Petrus Ananiam et Sapphiram fraudantes de pretio agri enecavit: ita et Basilius, locum Petri obtinens ejusque pariter autoritatem libertatemque participans, suam ipsius promissionem fraudantem Valentem redarguit, ejusque filium morte mulctavit:" "As St. Peter did to Ananias and Sapphira, so Basil did to Valens and his son, for the same delinquency; for he had the place, liberty, and authority of St. Peter."

Thus Gaudentius, of Brixia, calls St. Ambrose the successor of St. Peter; and Gildas, surnamed the Wise, saith, "that all evil bishops whatsoever, do with unhallowed and unclean feet, usurp the seat of St. Peter"." But this thing is of catholic belief, and of this use. If the order and office of the apostolate be eternal, and to be succeeded in, and this office superior to presbyters; and not only of Divine institution, but, indeed, the only order which can clearly show an immediate Divine commission for its power and authority, (as I have proved of the function apostolical;) then those which do succeed the apostles in the ordinary office of apostolate, have the same institution and authority the apostles had; as much as the successors of the presbyters have with the first presbyters, and perhaps more.

For, in the apostolical ordinations, they did not proceed as the church since hath done. Themselves had the whole priesthood, the whole commission of the ecclesiastical power, and all the offices. Now they, in their ordaining assistant ministers, did not in every ordination give a distinct order, as the church hath done since the apostles. For they ordained some to distinct offices, some to particular places; some to one part, some to another part of clerical employment; as St. Paul, who was an apostle, yet was ordained by imposition of hands, to go to the churches of the uncircumcision; so was Barnabas, St. John, and James, and Cephas, to the cir

• Lib. xii. Thes. cap. 15. Orat. de Laud. Basil.

Tract. prima Die suæ Ordinat. Biblioth. SS. PP. tom. v. in Eccles. Ord. increpat.

cumcision and there was scarce any public design or grand employment, but the apostolic men had a new ordination to it, a new imposition of hands; as is evident in the Acts of the Apostles. So that the apostolical ordinations of the inferior clergy, were only a giving of particular commissions to particular men, to officiate such parts of the apostolical calling as they would please to employ them in. Nay, sometimes their ordinations were only a delivering of jurisdiction, when the persons ordained had the order before; as it is evident in the case of Paul and Barnabas ". Of the same consideration is the institution of deacons to spiritual offices; and it is very pertinent to this question. For there is no Divine institution for these rising higher than apostolical ordinance; and so much there is for presbyters, as they are now authorized; for such power the apostles gave to presbyters as they have now, and sometimes more, as to Judas and Silas, and divers others; who, therefore, were more than mere presbyters, as the word is now used.

The result is this: The office and order of a presbyter is but part of the office and order of an apostle; so is a deacon, a lesser part; so is an evangelist; so is a prophet; so is a doctor; so is a helper, or a surrogate in government. But these will not be called orders; every one of them will not, I am sure; at least, not made distinct orders by Christ. For it was in the apostles' power to give any one, or all these powers, to any one man; or to distinguish them into so many men as there are offices, or to unite more or fewer of them. All these, I say, clearly make not distinct orders; and why are not all of them of the same consideration? I would be answered from grounds of Scripture; for there we fix, as yet.

Indeed the apostles did ordain such men, and scattered their power at first; for there was so much employment in any one of them, as to require one man for one office. But a while after, they united all the lesser parts of power into two sorts of men, whom the church hath since distinguished by the names of presbyters and deacons, and called them two distinct orders. But yet, if we speak properly and according to the exigence of Divine institution, there is 'unum sacer

• Acts, xiii.

dotium," 'one priesthood' appointed by Christ; and that was the commission given by Christ to his apostles, and to their successors precisely; and those other offices of presbyter and deacon are but members of the great priesthood; and although the power of it is all of Divine institution, as the power to baptize, to preach, to consecrate, to absolve, to minister; yet, that so much of it should be given to one sort of men, so much less to another, that is only of apostolical ordinance. For the apostles might have given to some only a power to absolve, to some only to consecrate, to some only to baptize. We see that to deacons they did so. They had only a power to baptize and preach; whether all evangelists had so much or no, Scripture doth not tell us.

But if to some men they had only given a power to use the keys, or made them officers spiritual, to 'restore such as are overtaken in a fault,' and not to consecrate the eucharist (for we see these powers are distinct, and not relative and of necessary conjunction, no more than baptizing and conse crating;) whether or no have those men, who have only a power of absolving or consecrating respectively; whether, (I say,) have they the order of a presbyter? If yea, then now every priest hath two orders, besides the order of deacon; for, by the power of consecration, he hath the power of a presbyter: and what is he, then, by his other power? But if such a man, ordained with but one of these powers, have not the order of a presbyter; then let any man show me, where it is ordained by Christ, or indeed by the apostles, that an order of clerks should be constituted with both these powers, and that these were called presbyters. I only leave this to be considered.

But all the apostolical power we find instituted by Christ; and we also find a necessity, that all that power should be succeeded in, and that all that power should be united in one order; for he that hath the highest, viz. a power of ordination, must needs have all the other, else he cannot give them to any else; but a power of ordination I have proved to be necessary and perpetual.

So that we have clear evidence of the Divine institution of the perpetual order of apostleship; marry, for the presbyterate, I have not so much either reason or confidence for it, as now it is in the church; but for the apostolate, it is beyond ex

ception. And to this bishops do succeed. For that it is so, I have proved from Scripture; and because "no Scripture is of private interpretation," I have attested it with the catholic testimony of the primitive fathers,-calling episcopacy, the apostolate; and bishops, successors of St. Peter in particular; and of all the apostles in general in their ordinary offices, in which they were superior to the seventy-two, the antecessors of the presbyterate.

One objection I must clear. For sometimes presbyters are also called apostles, and successors of the apostles; as in Ignatius, in Irenæus, in St. Jerome. I answer:

1. They are not called "successores apostolorum," by any dogmatical resolution or interpretation of Scripture, as the bishops are, in the examples above alleged; but by allusion and participation at the most. For true it is, that they succeed the apostles in the offices of baptizing, consecrating, and absolving "in privato foro;" but this is but part of the apostolical power, and no part of their office, as apostles were superior to presbyters.

2. It is observable, that presbyters are never affirmed to succeed in the power and regiment of the church, but in subordination and derivation from the bishop; and, therefore, they are never said to succeed, "in cathedris apostolorum," in the apostolic sees.

3. The places which I have specified, and they are all I could ever meet with, are of peculiar answer. For as for Ignatius, in his epistle to the church of Trallis', he calls the presbytery, or company of priests,' the college,' or 'combination of apostles.' But here St. Ignatius, as he lifts up the presbyters to a comparison with apostles, so he also raises the bishop to the similitude and resemblance with God. "Episcopus typum Dei Patris omnium gerit; presbyteri verò sunt conjunctus apostolorum cœtus." So that, although presbyters grow high, yet they do not overtake the bishops, or apostles; who also, in the same proportion, grow higher than their first station. This, then, will do no hurt.

As for St. Irenæus, he, indeed, does say, that presbyters succeed the apostles; but what presbyters he means, he tells us; even such presbyters as were also bishops, such as St.

' Idem fere habet in Epist. ad Magnes. et Smyrnens.