the prophets foretelling them, than to ask of the Lord forgiveness."

The relevancy of this passage depends upon the question who are the sacerdotes, priests of whom Jerome speaks. He is commenting upon Zephaniah 3: 3. Her princes within her, are roaring lions, by which he understands her priests, saying, "I am aware, that I shall offend many because I interpret these things as said of bishops and presbyters." 92 Then, after remarking, at length, upon this degenerate priesthood, he adds the sentence above. Jerome, therefore, ascribes to presbyters and bishops alike, the same right to constitute " Levites and others priests," applying the terms, not to the Jewish priesthood, but to the clergy of the Christian church in his day, and including both bishops and presbyters under the same category, as possessing equal rights to baptize, to ordain, and to administer the sacraments.

That the right of ordination belonged to presbyters, is evident, from the authority of Eutychius, of Alexandria, which, also illustrates still farther the usage of this church, and confirms the testimony of Jerome. The citation with the translation is from Goode. This author with reference to Eutychius says, "His words are these; after mentioning that Mark the Evangelist went and preached at Alexandria, and appointed Hananias the first patriarch there, he adds, 'Moreover he appointed twelve presbyters with Hananias, who were to remain with the Patriarch, so that, when the Patriarchate was vacant, they might elect one of the twelve presbyters, upon whose head the other eleven might place their hands and bless him [or, invoke a bless

92 Scio offensurum me esse plurimos quod super episcopis et presbyteris hæc interpreter.... Sarcerdotes qui dant baptismum et ad eucharistiane Domini uniprecantur adventum, faciunt oleum chrismatis, manus imponunt, catechumenos erudiunt, Levitas et alios constituunt sacerdotes, non tam indignentur nobis hæc exponentibus et prophetis vaticinantibus, quam Dominum deprecentur.-Tom. 3, pp. 1672, 1673.

ing upon him], and create him Patriarch, and then choose some excellent man and appoint him presbyter with themselves in the place of him who was thus made Patriarch, that thus there might always be twelve. Nor did this custom respecting the presbyters, namely, that they should create their Patriarchs from the twelve presbyters, cease at Alexandria until the times of Alexander, Patriarch of Alexandria, who was of the number of the 318 [bishops at Nice.] But he forbade the presbyters to create the Patriarch for the future, and decreed that when the Patriarch was dead, the bishops should meet together and ordain the Patriarch. Moreover he decreed that on a vacancy of the Patriarchate they should elect, either from any part of the country, or from those twelve presbyters, or others, as circumstances might prescribe, some excellent man and create him Patriarch. And thus that ancient custom by which the Patriarch used to be created by the presbyters disappeared, and in its place succeeded the ordinance for the creation of the Patriarch by the bishops. 93

93 The following is Selden's translation of the passage from the Arabic : -"Constituit item Marcus Evangelista duodecim Presbyteros cum Hanania, qui nempe manerent cum Patriarcha, adeo ut cum vacaret Patriarchatus, eligerent unum e duodecim Presbyteris cujus capiti reliqui undecim manus imponerent eumque benedicerent et Patriarcham eum crearent, et dein virum aliquem insignem eligerent eumque Presbyterum secum constituerent loco ejus qui sic factus est Patriarcha, ut ita semper extarent duodecim. Neque desiit Alexandriæ institutum hoc de Presbyteris, ut scilicet Patriarchas crearent ex Presbyteris duodecim, usque ad tempora Alexandri Patriarchæ Alexandrini qui fuit ex numero illo cccxviii. Is autem vetuit ne deinceps Patriarcham Presbyteri crearent. Et decrevit ut mortuo Patriarcha convenirent Episcopi qui Patriarcham ordinarent. Decrevit item ut, vacante Patriarchatu, eligerent sive ex quacunque regione, sive ex duodecim illis Presbyteris, sive aliis, ut res ferebat, virum aliquem eximium, eumque Patriarcham crearent. Atque ita evanuit institutum illud antiquius, quo creari solitus a Presbyteris Patriarcha, et successit in locum ejus decretum de Patriarcha ab Episcopis creando."— Eutych. Patr. Alex. Ecclesiæ suæ orig. Ed. J. Selden. London, 1642. 4to. pp. 29-31.

"I have given this passage in full, because it has been sometimes replied that it referred only to the election of the Patriarch, and that we must suppose that he was afterwards consecrated to his office by bishops. But it is evident to any one who takes the whole passage together, that such an explanation is altogether inadmissible; and moreover, the very same word (which, following Selden, we have translated created) is used with respect to the act of the presbyters, as is afterwards used with respect to the act of the bishops in the appointment.

"I am quite aware that very considerable learning has been employed in the attempt to explain away this passage, and the reader who wishes to see how a plain statement may thus be darkened, may refer to the works mentioned below."94

Gieseler pertinently remarks, in regard to it, that "it is at least certain that the part which is contradictory to the usage of later times has not been interpolated; and so far it has an historical value." 95

The validity of presbyterian ordination, and the right of presbyters to ordain, was never called in question, according to Planck, until the bishops began, about the middle of the third century, to assert the doctrine of the apostolical succession. "With the name it seemed desirable also to inherit the authority of the apostles. For this purpose they availed themselves of the right of ordination. The right of ordination of course devolved exclusively upon the bishops as alone competent rightly to administer it. As they had been duly constituted the successors of the apostles, so also had they alone the right to communicate the same in part or fully, by the imposition of hands.

94 See Abr. Echell. Eutychius Vindicatus, Morinus De Ordinat., Renaudot. Hist. Patriarch Alex.

95 Cited in our Christian Antiquities, p. 103. In addition to the authors mentioned above, by Goode, are Le Quien and Petavius. Comp. also, Neander, Allgem. Gesch., 1, pp. 325, 326, 2d edit., Note. J. F. Rehkopf, Vitae Patriarcharum Alexandr. fasc., I and II.

From this time onward, to give the rite more effect, it was administered with more imposing solemnity." And in all probability it became customary at this early period to utter in the laying on of hands, those words of prelatical arrogance and shocking irreverence, 'Receive the Holy Ghost' for the office and work of a bishop.96

Dr. Neander has assured the writer, in conversation on this point, that beyond a doubt presbyters were accustomed to ordain in the ages immediately succeeding the apostles. The testimony of Firmilian, given above, is, according to Neander, explicit in confirmation of this fact, and the same sentiments are also expressed or implied in his works. If further evidence is needed on this point, it is given at length and with great ability by Blondell, who, after occupying one hundred quarto pages with the argument, sums up the result of the discussion with the following syllogism.

"To whom the usage of the church has assigned, in reality, the same functions, to them, it has also from the beginning ascribed the same ministerial parity, and of course, the same dignity.

"But the usage of the church has assigned to bishops and presbyters, in reality, the same functions in the rites of confirmation, of dedication of churches, of taking the veil, of the reconciling of penitents, and in the ordination of presbyters, deacons, &c.

"Therefore, it has, from the beginning, declared that bishops and presbyters, are in all respects equal, and of necessity, that they are the same in dignity or rank."

"97

Even the decrees of council, which restrict the right of ordination to the bishops alone, distinctly imply that from the beginning it was not so limited. Why deny, by a formal decree, to presbyters the right to ordain, if they

96 Planck, Gesell. Verfass., 1, pp. 158-161.

97 Apologia pro sententia Hieronomi de Episcopis et presbyteris. Amstelod., 1616, 4to.

have never enjoyed that right? The prohibition is an evident restriction of their early prerogatives.

But I forbear; enough has been said to vindicate the right of presbyters to ordain, and to perform all the functions of the ministerial office. Indeed, I cannot but wonder that it should ever have been called in question. How extraordinary the hardihood with which, in the face of authorities a thousand times collated and repeated, we are still told that "the idea of ordination, by any but bishops was an unheard-of thing in the primitive church.”98 Whereas the burden of proof really rests upon them who venture upon such assertions. This idea is forcibly presented by Dr. Miller, in the following extract, with which we close this review of the authority of the fathers on the point now under consideration.

:

"The friends of prelacy have often, and with much, apparent confidence, challenged us to produce out of all the early fathers, a single instance of an ordination performed by presbyters. Those who give this challenge might surely be expected, in all decency and justice, to have a case of Episcopal ordination ready to be brought forward, from the same venerable records. But have they ever produced such a case? They have not. Nor can they produce it. As there is, unquestionably, no instance mentioned in Scripture of any person, with the title of bishop, performing an ordination; so it is equally certain that no such instance has yet been found in any Christian writer within the first two centuries. Nor can a single instance be produced of a person, already ordained as a presbyter, receiving a new and second ordination as bishop. To find a precedent favorable to their doctrine, the advocates of Episcopacy

98 So much for the idea of any but bishops ordaining in the primitive church. Never was this allowed before the Reformation; either in the church, or by any sect however wild!"-Review of Coleman's Christian Antiquities, by H. W. D., a presbyter in Philadelphia.