fefs, that the Chriftians of Alexandria, within the third Century, divided themselves into feveral diftinct and feparate Congregations, and all fubjected to one Bishop. Thefe are his own Words, and what need have we then, you'll fay, of any farther Controverfy? I confefs, I fhould think no need at all, only it is not amifs we should fee what Management is us'd with this dangerous Evidence, (who extorted this Candid Confeffion from him) that he might not hurt the Congregational Cause after all.

'Twas a Paffage in Dionyfius, the holy Bishop of Alexandria himself, that inclin'd our zealous Enquirer to this gentle Temper; for this, S fays he, is clearly enough afferted by Dionyfius, who mentions the diftinet Congregations in the extremeft Suburbs of the City.

To make this hard Teftimony a little more pliant to this Purpose, we have this ingenious Comment upon it, That thefe † Congregations were only a Chappel of Ease within the Suburbs of Alexandria, for the Conveniency of fome Members, who liv'd too far off to come to their One ufual Meeting-Houfe, fo often as they held Affemblies there; (being every Lord's-Day, Saturturday, Wednesday, and Friday;) and therefore 'twas concerted between the Bishop and his People, that they should erect this Chappel, or thefe Chappels for themselves; and, upon folemn Occafions, Should

Il Eng. p. 38.

§ Eng. P. 39.

† Ἐν προαστίοις πορρωτέρω κειμθύοις και μέρα koorlou ounaywyai. Adverf. Germanum apud Euseb. 1.7.6.11.

fhould all meet in the one Mother-Church, and fo continue but one Congregational Church ftill,

In which Comment, we have a great Example of what Zeal will do for a bad Caufe.

For,

First, This fingle Chappel, or these distinct Congregations (for they are named in both Capacities) are pofitively faid to be within the extremeft Suburbs (at least) of the City of Alexandria; tho' Dionyfius himself fays only, † as it were within fuch Suburbs; and thus you may remember this wary Author did, in another Quotation, leave out this little Particle [ws, or as it were] to very good Purpose; and fo it is here, for a Chappel within the Suburbs, tho' it were in the remoteft of them all, in the vulgar Acceptation of them amongst us, would fuit pretty well with an English Parish still, which more Congregations, a little farther off, would fcarce do fo well. And,

Secondly, All this Matter must be represented as a fingular Cafe, concerted between the Bishop and his People, that they should not only erect this Chappel, or Chappels for their own Eafe, but engage themselves upon folemn Occafions to affemble in one and the fame Church with him ftill, and fo be a meer Congregational Diocese, notwithstanding these multiply'd Congregations in it. For all which, there is not one tittle of Warrant or Authority in Dionyfius's own Narrative of it, but enough to fhew a very different Cafe from it.

† Ὡς ἐν προαστίοις πορρωτέρω κειμθύοις και μέρα συναγωγαί. Euseb. ib. § Vide pag. 81. fupra.

I have had Occafion given to confider this whole Cafe of the Church of Alexandria before, to which I refer the Reader, for fuller Information in it; and only remind him here, (as a Help to understand this fhort Comment) that the Place where thefe diftin&t Congregations were held, was in and about Colluthio, in the Region of Maraotis, which was a different Nomos, or Diftrict of Agypt, from that of Alexandria, both in the Macedonian and Roman Divifion of it. Ptolemy diftinguishes each of them as feparate Regions by themselves, as our learned † Dr. Heylin alfo does, who tells us, that Plinthine and Hierax were the chief Towns in the Region call'd Marcotica; and how large a Country it was, and diftinct from Alexandria, the Contrivance of the Arians fhews, who fet up Ifchyras, the pretended Presbyter, for another Bishop there; knowing, doubtless, there was Scope and District enough for another Diocese, (even in the Notion and Practice of the Fourth Century) for they never prefum'd fo far as to make him Bishop of Alexandria itself. But we need no other Evidence,fure,in our prefent Cafe, than that the holy Bishop of Alexandria we are now fpeaking of, was, at this Time, confin'd in this very Place in the Condition of a banish'd Man, and where (he tells us) || Chriftians never had refided before, till his Name and Sufferings had brought thefe feveral Congregations

* Vide fupra, p. 6. & p. 49.

See Heylin's Cofmog. p. 929. Edit. 2. Lond. 1657. r. Η Έρημον μου ἀδελφῶν τὸ χωρίον ταῖς ἢ ἢ ὁδοι πορέντων ἐνοχλήσεσι καὶ ληςῶν καταδρομαῖς ἐγκείμενον -йx déduv xj λíar xantanra. Eufeb. ib. 1. 7. c. 11.

gregations of them into the Country round about, it being a Place infefted with Vagrants and Robbers to that very Day, and where he was much afflicted (as he says himself) to hear that he must go. Judge what a Kind of Suburb this must be to his own City of Alexandria then ; I mean, in our Modern and English Notion of a Suburb, for whofe Sake this Comment is made, and in which Senfe only the plaufible Contrivance of a Chappel of Eafe could have any Show of Reason in it. For if he would allow it to be understood in the ancient Acceptation of the Word, wherein † Suburbs comprehended large adjacent Countries, whofe Towns and Villages were the peculiar Cures of Presbyters under the Bishop of the Diocese wherein they lay, we fhould not need to difpute about it. But fuch a Primitive Construction as this could no ways. clear his Point here, but would give his Citizens Chappel of Ease a most unwarrantable Situation; and yet 'tis plain, that Dionyfius himself did not then take the Place here mention'd,for a Suburb of this City, even in his extensive Notion of it neither; elfe he had never faid, as it were in remoter Suburbs, had it actually been there. Not to mention how unprecedented a thing it is, to affix the more modern Term of a Chappel of Ease, to any Place of publick Worship in those Primitive Times; where, I conceive, neither Name nor Thing is in any Author to be found. To speak the leaft we can then in this prefent Cafe; it is very plain, that some fair Symptoms H 4

of

+ See Valefius's Annot. on these very Words, Kala μéρε συναγωγαί. In Eufeb. ib.

of a modern Epifcopal Church did appear in this Primitive one of Alexandria; and no wonder it fhould be fo, fince the great Evangelist S. Mark had, in his own time, converted and fettled many Congregations of Chriftians in the very City itself, as § Eufebius tells us, who calls them Churches, (in the Plural Number) without any cautious Distinction of Chappels of Eafe, or any thing in Name or Nature like it, to make them a parochial Diocese ftill, but took care to leave upon Record, that one fingle Bishop fucceffively prefided over all: And one can't but think it strange, to fee an English Pen fo very induftrious to deface the genuine Characters of this Primitive Church; when they do no more than bear witness to the venerable Apoftolical Constitution, which the Providence of God, and our own Spiritual Superiors, have provided for ourselves at home.

But,once more, tho' great Imperial Cities may make a Show of being more than Congregational Churches, yet what can we fay of Bishops plac'd in Villages? Does not that prove, that their Diocese could be no greater? If it proves any thing, it must prove their Jurifdiction to reach no farther than their Village too, which I never yet could hear of. To be a Bishop in a Village, and of a Village, are very different things; and fhould an Englishman read no more than the Hiftory of his Native Country only, he'd find a Bishop's See, ever and anon, fix'd in a Village, (as properly fo call'd as any Episcopal Village

in

§ Ἐκκλησίας ἐπ' αὐτῆς ̓Αλεξανδρείας συσήσαθαι. Eufeb. Hift. Ec. 1. 2. c, 16.