SERMONS. 329 



side, the Elders of the Text must be degraded 

 into common Presbyters, lest we should have 

 bishops here of St. Paul's and Titus's own crea- 

 tion : with how little reason in either, we go on 

 to consider in 



II. The second act, to which this power is here 

 designed, and that is Kcx^irava*, to oj^dain Elders in 

 every city. 



Concerning which Elders, whether of the first 

 or second rank, I know well what variety of 

 opinion hath past, even amongst my own mother's 

 sons. Nor shall I be nice to acknowledge it ; as 

 counting it our advantage, that we have more 

 than a single hypothesis to salve the phenomena, 

 and some choice of answers, each of them suffici- 

 ently securing us from the contradiction of the 

 gainsayers : to whose pretentions these Elders will 

 be for ever useless, whether understood Bishops, 

 or common Presbyters, always ordained, and 

 governed, either by the Apostles themselves, or 

 by bishops of their appointment, as they drew off. 

 But, not to leave it wholly in the clouds, I will 

 not doubt to profess mine own sense too, with 

 due submission ; that the Elders in the Text were 

 very Bishops, appointed one for every city, and 

 the suburbicarian re»*ion thereof. 



1. For this is most agreeable, not only to the 

 exposition of the Ancient Church, (the best com- 

 ment, when all is done, upon doubtful places of 

 Scripture.) 



2. But to the context, also, which expressly 



