AND this likewife confutes their other Pretence, which I have mention'd, that the ancient Bishopricks were only fingle and independent Congregations, or Parishes. This is a Topic they have taken up but of late, (being beaten from all their other Holds) and launched by Mr. David Clerkfon, in a Book which He entitles Primitive Epifcopacy; which has given Occafion to an excellent Anfwer, by Dr. Henry Maurice, call'd A Defence of Diocesan Epifcopacy, which I fuppofe, has ended that Controverfy, and hindred the World from being more troubled upon that Head. And their other little Shift, and as groundless, that the Primitive Bishops were no other than their Moderators, advanc'd more lately by Gilb Rule the Moderator of the General Affembly in Scotland, has been as learnedly, and with great clearness of Reafon, confuted by the worthy F. S. in his Principles of the Cyprianic Age.

BUT as I faid, that Text, 1. Tim. v. 19. has made all these Pretences wholly useless to the Presbyterians: For fuppofing their most notorious falfe Suppofition, as if the Bishopricks of Jerufalem, Rome, Alexandria, or London, confifted but of one fingle Congregation, and that fuch Bishops had no Presbyters under them; but that all Presbyters were equally Bishops; I fay fuppofing this, then it must follow from what we read of Timothy, that one Bishop or Presbyter had Jurifdiction over other Bishops and Presbyters, which will deftroy the Presbyterian Claim of Parity, as much as their Confeffion to the Truth, and plain Matter of Fact, that Bishops had Presbyters under their Jurifdidion; and that they were diftinct Orders: Notwithstanding that a Bishop may be called Aixov a Deacon, or Minifter of Chrift; and likewife Пgeo BUT, an Elder or grave Man, which is a Term of Magiftracy and Dignity, and is not ty'd to Age. And a Presbyter may likewife, in a found Senfe be called a Bishop, that is, an Overfeer or Shepherd, which He truely is over his particular

D

Flock,

Flock, without denying at all his Dependance upon His Bishop and Overfeer.

As under the Term of Prieft, the High Prieft was included, without deftroying his Supremacy, o-" ver the other Priefs. Againft which Supremacy. KORAH and his Presbyters, or inferiour Priests arofe.

AND if the Presbyterians will take his Word, whom, of all the Fathers, they moft admire, and quote often on their fide, that is, St. Ferom, he will tell them, in that very Epift. (ad Evagr.) which they boaft favours them fo much, That what Aaron and his Sons, and the Levites were in the Temple, that fame are Bilhop, Presbyter, and Deacon in the Church.

AND long before Him, Clemens Romanus, who was Bishop of Rome, who convers'd with the Apostles, and learn'd the Chriftian Faith from their Mouths; He I fay, in his 1. Epifle to the Corinthians, makes frequent Allufion to the Epifcopacy of the Levitical Priesthood, and argues from thence to that of the Chriftian Church.

THUS Parag. 40 To the High-Prieft (fays he) were allotted his proper Offices, to the Priefs, their proper Place was affign'd; and to the Levites their Services were appointed, and the Lay-men were refrain'd within the Precepts to Lay-men. And Paragr. 42. He applies that Scripture, Ifa. 1x. 17. to the Officers of the Chriftian Church, and renders it thus; I will conftitute their Bishops in righteoufnefs, and their Minifters (or Deacons) in Faith. The Greek Tranflation of the LXX has it thus. I will give Thee Rulers (or Princes) in Peace; and thy Bihops in Righteousness.

IT was the frequent Method of thofe Primitive Fathers to Reafon thus from the Parallel 'twixt the Law and the Gospel, the one being an exact Type of the other, and therefore being fulfill'd in the other. And in this they follow'd the Example of Chrift, and the Apostles who argu'd in the fame Manner,

Manner, as you may fee Matth. v. and 1. Cor. 2. the whole Epiftle to the Hebrews, and in many other Places of the New-Teftament.

Now the Presbyterians are defir'd to fhew any one Difparity betwixt their Cafe and the Cafe of Korab; who was a Prieft of the fecond Order, that is, a Presbyter; and withdrew his Obedience from the High-Prieft with other mutinous Levites: For there was no Matter of Doctrine, or Worship betwixt them and Aaron, nor any other Difpute, but that of Church Government. And, by the Parallel betwixt the Old Teftament and the New, Korab was a Presbyterian, who rofe up against the Epifcopacy of Aaron. But this Cafe is brought yet nearer home; for we are told (Fude 11.) of thofe under the Gofpel, who perish in the Gain faying of Korah: And in the Epiftle of Clement to the Corinthians before quoted, Paragraph, 43. He plainly applies this Cafe of Korab, to the State of the Chriftian Church; fhewing at large, that as Mofes, by the Command of : God, determin'd the Pretentions of the twelve Tribes to the Glory of the Priesthood, by the miraculous Budding of Aaron's Rod, which was after the Schifm and Punishment of Korah and his Company. So likewife, He fays, the Apostles Foreknowing, by Chrift; that Diffentions wou'd arife alfo in the Chriftian Church by various Pretenders to the Evangelical Prieft-hood, did fettle and establish, not only the Perfons themfelves; but gave Rules and Orders for continuing the Succeffion after their Deaths, as I have before quoted his Words. So that it is plain from hence, That the Evangelical Priesthood, is as pofitively, and certainly eftablish'd, and determin'd, in the Succeffion of Ecclefiaftical Ordination, as the Levitical was, in the Succeffion of Aaron, and confequently, that the Rebellion of Presbyters from under the Government of their Bishops, is the fame Cafe as the Rebellion (for fo it is call'd, Numb. xvii.10.) of Korah and his Levites, against Aaron, who

had as good a Pretence against Him from the Word Levite, which was common to the whole Tribe, as the Presbyterians, have against Bishops, from the Name Bifhop and Presbyter, being used fometimes promifcuoufly, and apply'd to the Clergy in general; which is a Term that includes all the Orders of the Church, as Levite did among the Jews.

BUT, to leave the fruitlefs Contest about Words, let this Matter be determin'd, as other Matters of Fa&t are.

IF I pretend to fucceed any Man in an Honour or Eftate, I muft name him who had fuch an Eftate or Honour before me, and the Man who had it before him, and who had it before him; and fo up all the way to him who firft had it; and from whom all the reft do derive and how it was lawfully de

duc'd from one to another.

THIS the Bishops have done, as I have fhewn, and can name all the Way backward, as far as Hiftory goes, from the prefent Bishop of London, (for Example) to the firft Plantation of Chriftianity in this Kingdom: So from the prefent Bishop of Lyons in France, up to Ireneus, the Difciple of St. Polycarp, who was the Bishop of Smyrna (one of the Angels mention'd in the Revelations) and the Difciple to the Holy Apoftle John, who wrote the Apocalyps, as before is told. The Records are yet more certain in the great Bishopricks of Rome, Antioch, Alexandria, and others, while they lafted in the World. And tho' the Records may not be extant of every fmall Bi-. hoprick, which was lefs taken Notice of; as the Names of many Kings are loft in obfcure Nations; of Many Mayors or Sherriffs, who notwithstanding have as certainly fucceeded one another, as where the Records are preferv'd. I fay, tho' every Bishop in the World cannot tell the Names of all his Predeceffors up to the Apoftles, yet their Succeffion is certain And in moft Chriftian Nations there are Bishops who can do it, which is a fufficient Proof for

the

the reft, all ftanding upon the fame Bottom, and being deriv'd in the fame Manner.

BUT, as I faid before, we have as clear a Succeffion of our Bishops as of our Kings: And to those who demand a Lift of them, I anfwer, that Stow's Survey of London, will give them rhe Names of all the Bishops of London, from that Time upwards, as far as our History reaches, and from Stow to this prefent Bishop of London, they are well known. And if they will go Abroad, they may fee in Eufebius, the Succeffion of the great Bishopricks. And there is a Lift of them in the end of Dr. Cave's Lives of the Fathers.

Now, to ballance this, it is defir'd, that, the Presbyterians wou'd fhew the Succeffion of any one Presbyter in the World who was not likewife a Bifhop, in our Acceptation of the Word, in the like manner from the Apoftles,

TILL when, their fmall Criticisms upon the Words, Bishop and Presbyter, is as poor a Plea, as if I fhould pretend to be Heir to an Eftate from the likeness of my Name to Somebody's who once had it.

AND here I cannot choofe but apply the Complaint of our Saviour, John v, 43. If any come in the Name of Chrift, that is, by a Commiffion from him, deriv'd down all the Way by regular Ordination, him ye will not receive: Nay, tho' he be otherwife a Man without Exception, either as to his Life and Converfation, or as to his Gifts and Sufficiency for the Miniftry, ye, (I mean many) make this his Commiffion an Objection against him: For this Reafon alone you will not accept him. But if another come in his own Name, that is, without any Commiffion, but what he has from himself; his own Opinion of his own Worthiness, giving out that himfelf is fome great one, (Acts viii. 9.) him ye will receive, and follow and admire; heaping to your felves Teachers, having itching Ears, as it was prophecy'd of thefe (and fuch-like) moft degenerate Times, 2 Tim. iv. 3.