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fcripture, than that the Apostles referved to themfelves a ruling power over them; kept a rod of discipline in their own hands; cenfured fome, 1 Cor. iv. 21; excommunicated others, xvi. 3; in fhort, had the fovereign care of all the churches in their own hands; 2 Cor. ii. 9. It is, moreover, plain, that all the elders we read of, who were ordained in the church, (before TIMOTHY and TITUS's fpecial commiffion took place) had the hands of the Apostles laid upon them, 2 Cor. xi. 28; and that there is no mention of confirmation and impofition of hands but by the Apostles alone. This prerogative of fupreme power and dignity the Apostles referved to themfelves; and no fpecious titles of governors, bishops, pastors, or the like, attributed to the prefbytery or elders in the New Teftament, ever brought it into question; fo that, during the lives and personal government of the Apostles, thofe titles might with fafety be promifcuously used, for any of their fubordinate ministers. But before the Apoftles died, or were removed from a perfonal vifitation of the feveral churches in their different provinces, in confequence of the great increase of Chriftian converts; we read in the earliest records, that they invested many fingle persons with a governing power over

churches and large cities. SAINT JOHN, for instance, placed POLYCARP over the church of Smyrna; and SAINT PETER ordained ST. CLEMENT for the church of Rome. And TERTULLIAN* adds, that the rest of the churches could prove their bishops (or fupreme governors) to be derived from the Apostles in the fame manner; and calls those epifcopal fees, the chairs of the Apostles. Indeed, it is evident from fcripture, that both TIMOTHY and TITUS were ordained fingular ecclefiaftical governors; the one over the church of Ephefus, the other over that of Crete: with a power and special commiffion to ordain elders under them; to rebuke and cenfure with all authority; in a word, to set in order all things which were wanting. To prove that this charge was of a perfonal nature, and did not concern presbyters at large, ST. PAUL conjures TIMOTHY, in his individual cha

* Edant ergo origines ecclefiarum fuarum; evolvant ordinem epifcoporum fuorum ita per fucceffiones ab initio decurrentem, ut primus ille epifcopus aliquem ex Apoftolis, vel apoftolicis viris, qui tamen cum Apoftolis perfeveraverint, habuerit auctorem et antecefforem; hoc enim modo ecclefiæ cenfus fuos deferunt; ficut Smyrnæorum ecclefia habens POLYCARPUм ab JOANNE Conlocatum refert; ficut Romanorum CLEMENTEM a PETRO ordinatum edit; proinde utique et ceteræ exhibent, quos ab Apoftolis in epifcopatum conftitutos, Apoftolici feminis traduces habeant. TERTULLIAN, de Prefcript. cap. 32.

racter, before GOD and the LORD JESUS CHRIST and the elect angels, to obferve thofe things without partiality. 1 Tim. v. 21. And, as a reason for ST. PAUL'S invefting TIMOTHY with this fulness of power, he concludes thus, "For I am ready to be offered up," fays the Apostle," the time of my departure is at hand." 2 Tim. iv. 5. As if he had said, “ I am now about to leave this world; the charge which has hitherto been borne by me, I now devolve upon you."

On

From these premises, we are justified in concluding that all thofe fingular ecclefiaftical governors, who received a commiffion fimilar to that received by TIMOTHY and TITUs, had fundry parts of the apoftolic fovereign power conferred upon them, which had never been imparted to presbyters in common. taking poffeffion of the churches, thus committed to their charge, they must find presbyters ministering in that capacity, in which they had been accustomed to minifter under the apoftolic fupremacy. On the reception of these new commiffioned governors amongft them, the prefbyters must have been convinced, by those reserved apoftolic powers of ruling, ordination, and cenfure, (particularly expreffed in the commiffion delivered to TIMOTHY and TITUS) that they were authorised to fucceed in the ordinary jurisdiction and

prerogatives of their departed Apostle. On this account it was, that the first order of ecclefiaftics were fo familiarly called the Apostles' fucceffors, and the title of Apostle given to them by many of the pri mitive writers." Awesoλos Kλnuens," fays CLEM. ALEX. fpeaking of the firft CLEMENT. Stromat. lib. iv. p. 516. TERTULLIAN calls them the Apoftolici feminis traduces," " the offspring, or rather the handers down of the apoftolic feed." THEODORET obferves, they were called Apoftles, till in process of time, for diftinction fake, the name of Apostle came only to be given to the Apostles ef pecially fo called.* So Phil. ii. 25; their Bishop. EPAPHRODITUS is called their Apoftle by ST. PAUL. And ST. CYPRIANT calls the Apostles bishops; and the bishops of his time, the fucceffors of the Apostles.

In fact, there was no other difference between the Apostles and bishops but this: the Apostles, being confeffedly the first planters of the Gofpel, were ge neral and ambulatory bishops, having the care and fuperintendency of all the churches; 2 Cor. xi. 28;

† Apoftolos, id eft, epifcopos, diaconos autem Apoftoli fibi conftituerunt epifcopatus fui miniftros. Apoftolis data eft, et epifcopis, qui eis ordinatione vicaria fuccefferunt.

but bishops were Apostles fixed to the jurifdiction of one city or province.

In a word, the ecclefiaftical writers, who were contemporary* *with the Apostles, and thofe who were contemporary with them, have, as it were, with one voice declared unto us, that the bifhops were the fucceffors of the Apostles, and the episcopal office the ordinance of God. The reservation of the Apoftolic title, by the general confent of the primitive church, to the blessed twelve; the distinct appropriation of that of bishop, a title which had before been common to ecclefiaftics of different degrees, to those who fucceeded the Apostles as governors of churches; are circumstances which have been above pointed out, together with the testimony of ST. IGNATIUS to the latter point, who declares, that at the very close of the Apoftolic age, every Chriftian church, to the very utmost bounds, had a fupreme governor, at that time diftinguished by the fingular and peculiar name of bifhop.*

*IGNATIUS, in his epiftles, makes mention of many bishops contemporary with himself.

IRENEUS, lib. iii. c. 3. EUSEBIUS iv. 14, and v. 23. POLYCRATES apud EUSEB. V. 24. CLEMENS Alexand. Strom. iii. 6. TERTULL. de Prefcript. xxxii. 36. De BAPTISMO, C. 17. Poft hos, ORIGEN et CYPRIAN.

* σε Επισκοποι οι κατα τα πέρατα ορισθέντες εν Ιησε Χρις ομη a." Ep. ad POLYCARP. fec. 3.