(Acts xx. 28.) Thus, after the resurrection as well as before, we find three orders of ministers in the church; first, the Apostles, who were chief governors; next, the Presbyters (then called Bishops ;) and lastly, the Deacons, answering to the lower order of the seventy disciples.

The APOSTLES, therefore, were the FIRST BISHOPS (as the word is now used,) of the christian church, and governed it under our Saviour, who gave them their commission for that purpose. But, although the authority bestowed on them by our Lord was common to them all, so that they were each of them Bishops and governors of the whole Catholic Church, and at liberty to exercise their Episcopal power in any part of it; yet they soon found it necessary to limit the universality of their power, as to the executive part, that one might not interfere with another; and this in all probability they did, by the direction of the Holy Spirit, who is "the God of order, not of confusion, in all the churches of the saints." the saints." The first division we find made by them, is mentioned by St Paul, who says that some of the apostles were appointed by mutual agreement (and not by any command of St Peter,) to take charge of the Gentiles and others of the Jews, (Gal. ii. 9.) And having thus settled, by mutual agreement, that "James, Cephas (or Peter,) and John," should undertake the government and inspec tion of the Jewish, and St Paul and Barnabas of the Gentile christians, they then proceeded to make a further limitation, and gave to each apostle his particu lar district or diocese.

Thus they appointed ST JAMES, the BISHOP of JERUSALEM; and whether he was one of the twelve or not, this is beyond dispute, that he was by compact

and agreement fixed at Jerusalem, to exercise his Episcopal and apostolic authority in that city, and the country adjacent. This is evident from St Paul, (Gal. i. 18. 19.) who, three years after his conversion, went up to Jerusalem, and found James resident there; and eleven years afterwards, on his return to Jerusalem, he found him still upon his charge, (Gal. ii. 1.9.) and I do not find that he ever removed from thence.-In the synod held at Jerusalem, in order to discuss the necessity of circumcising the Gentile converts, Peter delivers his opinion as one who was a member of the assembly, but James, as Bishop of Jerusalem, speaks with authority, and his sentence is decisive; and, according to his determination, the decree was enacted. Moreover, some of the Church of Jerusalem, who came to Antioch, are said to be "certain who came from James," which implies that James was head of that church, otherwise they should rather have been said to come from Jerusalem, or from the church of that place; and when St Paul arrived at Jerusalem, "he went in unto James," as the Bishop, "and all the Presbyters," who were next in authority to him, "were present," (Acts xxi. 18.) Why unto James? (says Bishop Taylor,) why not rather unto the Presbytery, if James did not eminere, was not the Prepositus or Bishop of them all?-Why does St James direct his epistle" to the twelve tribes scattered abroad," but because he looked upon all the Jewish christians, who still thought it their duty to come to Jerusalem to worship, to be under his jurisdiction. Upon this account, all the writers of the first ages "unanimously' (says Blondel, Apologia, p. 50.) style him Bishop of Jerusalem. On the death of St James, the Episcopal chair was filled by Simeon, the son of Cleophas, men

tioned in St John's gospel (xix. 25.) who was placed by the apostles, who were then alive, with the same authority as his predecessor. He remained Bishop till his death. This is an important fact, as it ascertains the opinion which the companions of our Lord entertained of the necessity of regular succession, and of the use of Episcopal authority. After Simeon, there succeeded thirteen Bishops of the Jewish race (before the final excision of the Jews by Adrian,) whose names Eusebius has inserted into his history from the ancient monuments of the church.

It is objected by some (not at all to the credit of christianity,) that the Church of Jerusalem was confined to a single congregation. But, it is utterly impossible, that the many thousands from time to time converted in Jerusalem alone, and the daily increase of them *, could worship God in one and the same place together. Hence the necessity of their being divided into several congregations, though still but the one Church of Jerusalem, “a persecution being raised against the church." From whence it follows, that the Bishop of Jerusalem must have had many congregations of christians under his superintendence at a time, and consequently many Presbyters officiating under him for the discharge of ministerial purposes, (Acts xxi. 18.) But yet it does not at all affect the point in debate, whether there were more congregations there than one, or not; for since there were many Presbyters there, and one apostle or Bishop, their constant president, there is an end of Presbybyterian equality in the time of the apostles. The

* Acts i. 15.—ii. 41. 47.—iv. 4. and vi. 7. See Maurice's Def. of Dioc. Episc. against Clarkson, p. 9. 3d ed. 1717.

state of the question relating to Episcopacy being, as I shall hereafter shew, not concerning a diocese,but whether the apostles left the plenitude of their ecclesiastical power to some single persons, who were called apostles and afterwards Bishops, or whether they gave it in commission to every Presbyter they ordained.

As St James had Jerusalem and the adjacent country for his diocese, so the other apostles (though each had a general authority in, and concern for the whole' church,) had certain places for their districts also, and exercised a particular authority over the churches which they had planted. Thus JAMES, PETER, and JOHN had, in a more particular manner, the care of the Jewish, and PAUL and BARNABAS of the Gentile christians, (1 Pet.i.1.-James i. 1.—Gal. ii. 9.) The apostle BarNABAS seems, upon his separation from St Paul, to have settled himself in Cyprus his native country, (Acts xv. 39.) St PAUL had the government of many churches which he founded, and was their proper Bishop himself, (and even, at the same time, officiated as pastor of some congregations,) till he found it necessary to commit the care of them to others. That he exercised this authority over Presbyters, is manifest from his sending for the Presbyters of Ephesus to come to him at Miletus, (Acts xx. 17.) and giving them a charge to perform their duties faithfully, as our Bishops do in their visitations. And in another place, (Acts xv. 36.) he visits the churches wherein he had ordained Presbyters before; "Let us return," says he to Barnabas," and visit our brethren in all cities, where we preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do." And again, "Besides those things which are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches."

And that he judged himself to have no superior or equal in spiritual matters, within his own district, "the measure of the rule which God had given to him,” (2 Cor. x. 13.) is no less manifest from what he writes to the Corinthians, (1 Cor. iv. 15.) where he says, "Although ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet ye have not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel. Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me," (1 Cor. iv. 19.) and “ Am I not an apostle? if I am not so to others, yet doubtless I am to you," (1 Cor. iv. 16.)

Thus, for some time, the Episcopal authority was exercised exclusively by the apostles themselves; but, because the number of the faithful daily increased, they proceeded to communicate all the branches of the apostolic office to other persons, who should supply their places at their decease, and continue the succession to the end of the world.

That the apostolic office, in its ordinary and essential parts, was to continue for ever in the church, is evident from the commission given to the apostles by our Saviour after his resurrection. For having chosen the eleven out of above five hundred, to whom he appeared at that time, he spoke to them saying, “ All power is given to me in heaven and earth, go ye therefore and make proselytes of all nations, baptising them, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world, amen." Such, as Dr Graves**

* Sermon at the consecration of Bishop Warburton (of Limerick,} in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, by Dr Graves, S. F. T. C. D. 1806," p. 8. See also Bishop Skinner's reasoning on this text, Primitive Truth, p. 154.