BIS 



prefliyters, who Tvas then called the bifliop, and who po. 

 vofiicd the church, but ftiU with the council of the prefi-.y- 

 ters. Dr. Hammond (Annot. Afts xi. 30.) has advanced 

 a lingular opinion, viz. that the apoftles inllituted only the 

 offices of bifliop and deacon, and that the intermediate of- 

 fice of prilhyter was foon afterwards introduced. But that 

 fuch a middle order Ihould be eiefted at once, immedi- 

 ately after the times of the apollles, is much more unlikely, 

 than that it arofe srradually out of an incovifiderable diilinc- 

 tion, which had obtained from the beginning. 



At the clofc of the third century, the ecclefiaftical go- 

 •pfrnment, which very generally prevailed, was of that kind 

 which might ju!Hy be denominated a parochial epifcopaey. 

 The bidiop, wlio was properly tiie pallor, had the charge 

 of a fingle parilh ; aid the pMi-ifhioners affembied for t!ie 

 purpofes of public worfhip, and for tlie celebration of reli- 

 gious inllitutions, in one place, at which the bi.'hop com- 

 monly prcfided ; tiie biihop was affilled by prcCjytern, who 

 formed his council in judicial and deliberative matters, and 

 who performed religious funftions both public and private. 

 To tliefe were added deacons. See Deacon. The next 

 Itep wan the extenlion of the ovcrfight of onebifhop to many 

 congregations, wirich branched out of the original church 

 bv an acccffion of converts ; and in this ftage of the progrefs 

 of epifcopaey, the fever"l pre(l)yters had their fcparale pa- 

 riflies, and continued i:i fubordmation to tiie biihop, who 

 was aci-cnowltdged as their common head. At this period, 

 an order of bilhops, called cborcp'ifcopi, or rural bifiiops (f;e 

 Chorepiscop L s), held the middle rank between bifliops 

 and prefbyters, being inferior to the former, and fuperior to 

 the latter. This ftate of the church may be denominated 

 dioccfan epifcopaey. 



Though bilhops, in tiie opinion of thofe whofe fenti- 

 ments we are now rcprefenting, were originally no other than 

 prefbyters ; the manner of th'^-ir ordination being the fame, 

 and the prefbyters difcharging every part of the oflicc of a 

 biihop ; no fooner was the diltinclion between them efta- 

 blilhed, than the bifliops began to appropriate certain func- 

 tions to themfelves. It appears, by the aft of the third 

 council of Carthage, A.D. 307, that, whereas, before, priells 

 had the power of affigning the time of public penance, and 

 of giving abfolution, as alfo of confecrating virgins, and of 

 making the chrifm, without the advice of the bifhop, all 

 thefe things were forbidden by thefe canons, and appro- 

 priated to the bilhops. But the principal circumftance by 

 which the bilhops were afterwards diltinguilhed, was the 

 power of confirming the baptized, when that chrifm was ap- 

 phed. See Confirmation. Alter the reign of Adrian, 

 when Jerufaleni was utterly dellroytd, and the Jews dif- 

 perfed, an opinion began to prevail among Chriftians, that 

 their minillers fuccetded to the charafters, rights, and pri- 

 vileges of the Jewilh priefthood ; and this was another 

 fource of honour and profit to the clergy. Another circum- 

 ftance, which contributed in no fniall degree to the progrefs 

 of epifcopal authority, was the conllitution of provincial 

 councils, Viihich infenfibly fuperfeded the importance of par- 

 ticular churches, and enabled the biihops by an alliance with 

 them to obtain a much larger (hare of executive and arbitrary 

 power. As foon as they became connefted by a fenfe of 

 their common interell, they were empowered to attack, 

 with united vigour, the original rights of their clergy and 

 people. " The prelates of the third century," fays Gibbon 

 (Hift. vol. ii, p. 335, Sic), " imperceptibly changed the 

 language of exhortation into that of command, fcattered 

 the feeds of future ufurpations, and fupplied, by fcripture 

 allegoric-s and declamatory rhetoric, their deficiency of force 

 and reafon. They exalted the unity and power of the 



Vol. IV. 



B I S 



clinrch, as it was reprefented in the epifcopal office, of 

 which every bifhop enjoyed an equal and undivided portion. 

 Princes and niagiftrates, it was often repeated, might boaft 

 an earthly claim to a tranfitory dominion ; it was the epif- 

 copal authority alone, which was derived from the deity, 

 and extended itfelf ever this and another wo.ld. The bifhops 

 were the vicegerents of Chrift, th.e fuccefl'ors of the apoftles, 

 ai:d the myftic fubftitutes of the high priell of tiie Mofaic 

 law. Their exclufive privilege of conferring the facerdotal 

 charafter, invaded the freedom of clerical and popular elec- 

 tions ; and if, in the adminiftration of the churcii, they ftill 

 confuked the judgment of the prefbyters, or the inclination 

 of the people, they moll carefully inculcated the merit of 

 fuch a voluntary condtfcenfion. The bifhops acknowledged 

 the fuprtme authority wh.ich refidcd in the affcmbly of their 

 trclhrcn ; but in the government of his peculiar diocele, 

 each of them exafled from YAsiJloci, the fame implicit obe- 

 dience as if that favourite metaphor had been literally 

 jull, and aS: if the Hiepherd had been of a more exalted na- 

 ture tiian that of his ilieep." The fame cauf::3, which at 

 urll h?.d dcftroyed the equality of the prefbyters, introduced 

 among the bifhops a pre-eminence of rank, and fiom thence 

 a fuperiority of jurifdiftion. In fpiing a:id autumn, when 

 they met in provincial fynod, the multitude was governed 

 by the wifdoni and eloquence of a few ; and, befides, the 

 ofnce of perpetual prelidcnts in the councils of each pro- 

 vince, was conferred on the bilhops of the principal city ; 

 and thefe afpiring prelates, who foon acquired the lofty 

 titlis of metropolitans and primates, fecretly prepared them- 

 felves to ufurp over their epifcopal brethren the fame au- 

 thority which the bifhops had fo iately afTuwied above the 

 college of prefbyters. Hence gradually arofe the pre-emi- 

 nence which the ambition of the Roman pontiff gained over 

 the other provinces and churches. King's Conftitution, &c. 

 of the Primitive Church, ch. i. — v. Campbell's Eccl. Hift. 

 vol. ii. Mofli. Eccl. Hift. vol. i. p. IC4, &c. Neal's Hift. 

 Purit. vol. i. p. 670, Sec. 4to. Pierce's Vindication. 



It is the opinion of many approved writers on this iubjeft, 

 among whom may be reckoned many cpifcopahans and dif- 

 fenters in our own country, and many learned foreigners, 

 that no particular form of church government was authori- 

 tatively prcfcribed either by our Lord or his apoftles ; but 

 that Chriftians were left at liberty to choofe fuch as might 

 be bell adapted to their circumftanccs and to the ftate of 

 fociety, and moft conducive to the edification and tranquillity 

 of the church, and of individuals in future ages. See Church, 

 AVhen new occafions required nev.- meafures, in a little 

 time the funftions of the priefthood were divided, and the 

 priefts diftinguifhed into degrees ; the political part of reli- 

 gion being affigned principally to bifliops, and the evange- 

 lical to the priefts, &c. or rather, as fome will have it, the 

 funftions of teaching and preaching were refv-rvcd to the 

 bifhop, and that of ordination fuperadded ; which was 

 their principal diftinftion, and the mark of their fovc- 

 rcignty in their diocefe. 



By the ancient difcipline, bifliops were to be married once, 

 and not to put away their wives on pretence of religion ; 

 but a fecond marriage was a difquahfication for this order. 

 If they lived chafte, they were ranked as confcfTors. 



Some bifliops in the middle age, on account of \iit\-: rega- 

 lia, or temporslities, were obliged to a military fervice 

 called hojiis, by which they were to lead their vaflals into 

 the field, and attend the king in his militaiy expeditions. 

 This Charlemagne excufed, and even forbade ; but the pro- 

 hibition was little regarded, fince we find the thing often 

 praftifed afterwai-ds. Du-Cange. 



The eleftion of bifhops v?as anciently placed in the clergy 

 3CL a"** 



