"fore," says S. Jerom, "let the Bishops re"member to govern the Church in common "with the Presbyters," and therefore also, says the great S. Ignatius Martyr, in his epistle to the Thrallians, "what is the Presbytery but an "holy Assembly, in which the Presbyters are "Councellors and Assessors to the Bishop?" not simply Councellors, ouera, but also Assessors, σuvedpeutal. He repeats the same doctrine in the same letter" Reverence the Dea

cons as the order of Christ, and the Presby"ters as the Synod of God, and the constitution "of the Apostles; for without these there can "be no Church," and he concludes with these words "Farewell in J. C. being subject to the "Bishop as to the commandment of God, "likewise to the College of Presbyters."*

"by Prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the Pres"bytery." 1 Tim. iv, 14, and again 2 Tim. i, 6.

* Αλλ' μποτασσεσθε χι το Πρεσβυτερίω, ως Αποςόλεις Ιησε Xpis8. Usher's edition, Oxon. 1644, p. 65.

Again ως χι ο Επισκοπος τε πατρος των ολων τυπος, οι δε Πρεσβύτεροι ως συνεδριον θεω. Ib. p. 66.

What shall we say now of those Vicars Apos tolic who have ventured to declare in print, that neither in Synod, nor out of Synod, have Priests any right to judge of faith or Discipline? Are they better informed on this subject than the great Martyr S. Ignatius, who was himself à Bishop, and had conversed with the Apostles?

8. There is nothing more agreeable to human egotism, than the lust of commandi Julius Cesar would rather be the first man in a Swiss Canton, than the second in imperial Rome. The rude, the boisterous, and domineering independence of the ancient Irish Chiefs, was founded on the same horrible passion, which has inflicted so many calamities on the human race. They had rather reign the lawless despots of a bog, with a power of life and death over their wretched Clans, than adopt the

Again Τι δε Πρεσβυτέριον αλλ η συςημα ιερον, συμβάλοι χι σ νεδρεωται το Επισχοπε. Ib. p. 71

TH

Again Ερρωσθε εν χυρίω Ικσε χριςω υπωτασσομενοι το Επισκόπω, ομοίως χι τοις πρεσβύτεροις, Ρ. 80.

manners and comforts of civilized life; and they submitted to a thousand domestic inconveniences, rather than run the risk of legal restraint !—Woe to those Irish Bishops, who pursue in the 19th century, that system of lawless government, which our Chiefs were compelled to abandon in the 17th!-Gracious God!-Do they imagine, at a time when the very last embers of Feudalism have expired, that they will be able to exercise lawless dominion, in defiance of the most venerable laws of the Christian Church?

Command without responsibility to law, is perhaps reconcileable with the principles of the Koran; but the best Bishops that the Christian Religion has produced, have declared that such uncontroulable dominion, and such unprincipled command, are repugnant to the Christian System. They considered the second order as fellow overseers of the Church. S. Cyprian writes to Pope Cornelius, (Ep. 55.) "he had a flourishing Clergy presiding with "him at Rome."-The Roman Clergy were always considered the Er Cathedra Assessors,

"that

without whose consent, the Pope himself could not pronounce any solemn decision of the Roman See. On the death of Pope Fabian, they governed that See, styling themselves Præpositi, or Prelates and Baronius acknowledges that they did so in virtue of a title founded on Apostolical tradition.*

Why does S. Cyprian apologize to them for his flight from the persecution of Decian?† Why does he consult them how he shall conduct himself with respect to readmitting to commu

"Fabiano Papa Martyrio coronato, ne per annum "quidem valuit ei subrogari successor, nempe, ut ait. Clerus "Romanus ad Cyprianum, (Ep. 31) propter rerum et temporum difficultates, quibus qui residui ex eodem Clero erant, "probe scientes, ex antiquiori consuetudine, sublato visibili "Universalis Ecclesiæ Capite, suarum esse partium Catholicæ "Ecclesiæ prospicere, in iis quæ licerent, ipsius Capitis mu nera explentes, inter alia cæteras Ecclesias hortati sunt, diligentem curam habere, &c, Ex literis quas de his rebus ad "Cyprianum et Clerum Carthaginiensem scripsere, (apud. “Cypr. Ep. 3, 4, 15, 30, 31) quid cum cæteris principaliori"bus Ecclesiis egerint, facile possumus intelligere." Baron, Annal. ann. 253, No. vii, viii, t. 1, p. 262--3, Paris, fol. 1630. + Cypr. Ep. 9, and Baronius ib. No. ix. "Ad Romanum ❝ clerum rationem sui facti reddens, ad quem in sui excusa"tionem tredecim transmisit epistolas,"

F

nion, those who had apostatized ?*--I have elsewhere given the great Mabillon's opinion,

on the right of the second order, to vote definitively, on matters of faith and discipline in Synods. If all the Buonapartes in the world, had collected all the sycophant Bishops of France and Italy, to hold an obsequious Synod under their influence, they, all together, could never get over the irresistable evidence of these texts and authorities united.

* 66

Cypriano visum Apostolicam Sedem, tametsi Pastore "vacantem, in re tanti momenti consulere." Epist. 23, et 29"lis autem acceptis, Clerus Romanus, matura consulatione "habita, &c. Cypriani sententia gestisque confirmatis, de "cætero nihil ante creationem Episcopi Romani innovandum "decreverunt. (Apud Cypr. Ep. 30, 31,) eademque Romani "Cleri decreta per totum mundum missa esse, et in notitiam "Ecclesiis omnibus perlata Cyprianus asserit." Ep. 42 ad Anton. Baronius, ib. No. xiii. p. 264.

+ The fourth Council of Toledo assigns their proper place in Synods to the second order as well as to the first, on benches behind the Bishops.-The oldest edition excepts such Priests as the Metropolitan may wish to have near himself, who are to judge and to define as his counsel.---“ Quos secum sessuros, "Metropolitanus elegerit, qui utique et cum eo judicare et "definire possent." Mabillon says on this passage---" Obser❝vandus est hic locus de Suffragio Presbyterorum in Synodo "etiam Provinciali." Musæum Ital. t. 2, n. 3.