either they were not careful, or the fury and violence of "the times would not permit them, to transmit them down "to their successors; or through the length of time they 66 are lost, and scarce any thing besides the names of such "Synods are now remembered, and of multitudes, neither 66 names nor decrees are to be found. But yet there is

enough escaped the fury of persecution, and the length of "time, to convince that those Synods did decree those

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things which they judged expedient for the polity, discip"line, and government of those particular churches that "were within their respective provinces, and required them "to be observed by all the members thereof." Besides, as, on a former part of the subject, it was shewn that Independents have never been able to adduce any plausible proof, of the right of the people at large to judge and vote in churchbusiness, from the writings of the fathers prior to the time of Cyprian; how can they object to quotations from this their favourite author, which Presbyterians bring forward, to prove the subordination of judicatories in ecclesiastical government?

In reviewing the writings of the fathers, we find that they acknowledge that such courts of review existed in the church from the earliest period. Cyprian, for instance, in his Sixty-sixth Epistle, written, according to the calculation of Marshall, A. D. 249, not only speaks of a Synod and its authoritative decrees, but represents these as having obtained among his more ancient predecessors. "Graviter commoti

sumus ego et college mei qui præsentes aderant, et com"presbyteri nostri qui nobis assidebant, fratres carissimi, "cum cognovissemus quod Geminius Victor, frater nos,ter, de seculo excedens, Geminium Faustinum presby "terum tutorem testamento suo nominaverit, cum jam pri"dem in concilio episcoporum statutum sit, ne quis de "clericis et Dei ministris tutorem vel curatorem testamen"to suo constituat:" i. e. " It was a great concern to me and to my colleagues who happened to be present with "with me, and to our fellow-presbyters who sat in judgment along with us, when we learned that our brother "Geminius Victor, at his death, had appointed Geminius "Faustinus a presbyter, executor of his will, since it hath "long ago been determined in a Council or Synod of bishops,

that no one should nominate in his will, a clergyman, "or a minister of God, to be an executor, or a guardian.' And again, as a proof that this Synod was not merely con

sultative, after making some observations upon the necessity of requiring the ministers of the church to devote themselves entirely to their sacred function, he adds, "Quod episco"pi antecessores nostri religiose considerantes, et salubriter "providentes, censuerunt ne quis frater excedens ad tute

lam vel curam clericum nominaret; ac si qui hoc faceret, "non offerretur pro eo, nec sacrificium pro dormitione ejus "celebraretur, neque enim apud altare Dei nominari mere"tur in sacerdotum prece, qui ab altari sacerdotes et ministros voluit avocare. Et ideo Victor cum contra formam

66 nuper in concilio a sacerdotibus datam, Geminium Fau"stinum presbyterum ausus sit tutorem constituere, non est "quod pro dormitione ejus apud vos fiat oblatio, aut depre "catio aliqua nomine ejus in ecclesiæ frequentetur, ut sa "cerdotum decretum religiose et necessarie factum servetur "a nobis simul et cæteris fratribus detur exemplum, ne quis "sacerdotes et ministros Dei, altari ejus, et ecclesiæ va"cantes ad seculares molestias devocet." That is, "Which "the bishops, our predecessors, religiously considering, de "creed that no brother, at his death, should name a cler gyman executor to his will; and if any one should do so, "there should be no offering for him, nor sacrifice present"ed for his repose, for he who would call off from the al

tar its priests and ministers, does not deserve to be men "tioned in the prayers of the priest at the altar. Where "fore since Victor, against the canon which was lately de "livered upon this occasion in a council of bishops, has "presumed to appoint Geminius Faustinus, a presbyter,

his executor, there is no reason why an oblation should "be offered for his repose, nor the customary prayers of the "church presented on his behalf, both that this Synodical "decree may be observed by us, and an example may be "given to the rest of our brethren, that no person may call "to a secular employment the priests and ministers of God, "whose whole time and care should be devoted to his altar."

Another of these authoritative Synods or Councils is men-. tioned by Cyprian, in a passage formerly quoted from his. Sixty-seventh Epistle. Speaking of Novatian, he says, "Et "cum ad nos in Africam legatos misissit, optans ad com-. "municationem nostram admitti, hinc a concilio plurimo"rum sacerdotum qui præsentes eramus sententiam retulerit, "se foris esse coepisse, nec posse a quoquam nostrum sibi "communicari," &c.: i. e. " And when he had sent his.

messengers to us in Africa, desiring to be admitted to our communion, he received this sentence from a Council of "many ministers who were then assembled, that he had be

gun the rupture, and could not be admitted by any of us "to our communion." Here we see a Council or Synod, of many minitsers, exercising an authoritative power over all the churches to which they belonged, and decreeing that this man should not be received into their communion. And again, in the same Epistle, talking of wicked and arrogant men, he says, "Ex quibus cum Marcianus esse cœperit, et ❝se Novatiano conjungens, adversarius misericordiæ et pietatis extiterit: sententiam non dicat, sed accipiat, nec sic agat, quasi ipse judicaverit de collegio sacerdotum, quando ipse sit ab universis sacerdotibus judicatus:" i. e. Since Marcian hath begun to be one of these, and joining " himself to Novatian, hath proved himself to be an enemy to mercy and piety, let him not pretend to pronounce any "sentence, but let him receive it; nor let him behave like one who is to judge the whole college of bishops, since he himself has been judged by all of them." Here he speaks of a whole college of pastors as pronouncing sentence of excommunication upon a heretic; and if we attend to another passage in this Epistle, we shall see that the college included the ministers of many "Therefore, churches. says he, dear brother, the very numerous body of ministers is so "united, that if any of our college become heretical, the "rest assist, and, like good and compassionate shepherds, "gather the sheep of the Lord into his fold." "Idcirco #enim, frater carissime, copiosum corpus est sacerdotium "concordiæ mutuæ glutino atque unitatis vinculo copulatum ut si ex collegio nostro hæresin facere," &c.

In his Fifty-ninth Epistle likewise, addressed to Fidus, and subscribed by Cyprian, and sixty-six ministers who had sat in council with him, he speaks of a decree which they had made, and which was considered as binding by all the churches to which they belonged. And at the same time they find fault with one Therapius, because, in opposition to their decree, he had rashly restored to the communion of the church, Victor, a presbyter, before he had exhibited sufficient evidences of penitence; and say, that though they might have inflicted upon Therapius a higher punishment, they would content themselves with a reproof and admonition. "Legimus (says Cyprian to Fidus), literas tuas,

"frater carissime, quibus significasti de Victore quodam presbytero, quod ei, antequam pœnitentiam plenam egis"set, et Domino Deo, in quem deliquerat, satisfecisset, "temere Therapius collega noster immaturo tempore et "præpropera festinatione pacem dederit. Quæ res nos satis movit, recessum esse a decreti nostri auctoritate, ut "ante legitimum, et plenum tempus satisfactionis, pax ei "concederetur. Sed librato apud nos diu consilio, satis "fuit objurgare Therapium collegam nostrum, quod temere "hoc fecerit, et instruxisse, ne quid tale de cætero faciat." That is, "We have perused your Letter, dearest brother, "wherein you intimate to us the case of Victor, once a "presbyter, whom our colleague Therapius rashly admit"ted before he had exhibited sufficient marks of penitence, " and made satisfaction to that God against whom he had "offended. Which circumstance troubled us not a little, "because, overlooking the authority of our decree, he had "been restored to communion before the lawful term of sa"tisfaction had expired. But having long and fully consi

dered the matter, we resolved to content ourselves with "reprimanding our colleague Therapius for his precipitate "conduct, and with admonishing him to guard against such "measures for the future."

This same council, moreover, which had thus authoritatively determined respecting the time during which offenders should be suspended from the communion of the church before they were re-admitted, pronounces, at the same time, a decision respecting the time at which infants should be baptized."Quantum vero (says Cyprian) ad causam infantium pertinet, quos dixisti intra secundum vel tertium diem,

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quo nati sunt, constitutos baptizari non oportere, et con"siderandum esse legem circumcisionis antiquæ, ut intra oc"tavum diem cum qui natus est baptizandum et sacrifican"dum non putares; longe aliud in concilio nostro omnibus "visum est. In hoc chim quod tu putabas esse faciendum, "nemo consensit, sed universi potius judicavimus nulli ho"minum nato misericordiam Dei et gratiam denegandam." That is, "Now, as to the case of new-born infants, who "should not, according to your opinion, be baptized with"in the second or third day after their birth, but should ra"ther wait the time appointed by the law for circumcision, " and so not be baptised or devoted to the service of God till the eighth day, I must tell you that we are all here

assembled in council, of another mind ; and no one of us ઃઃ came into your sentiments; but on the contrary, we all "concluded that the grace and mercies of God were to be de"nied to none who should come into the world.” And afterwards they express, if possible in still stronger terms, their conviction that this ordinance should be administered to infants at any period. This determination, however, appears to be as authoritative as their former decision, as to the case of the lapsed, and seems to have been equally binding upon all their churches.

Firmilian, bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia, in the Latin translation of his Letter, which Cyprian has given us among his own Epistles, affirms that such Councils or Synods were common also at that time in the province of Lesser Asia. After telling us, as was before mentioned, that elders alone preside in the church, and baptize and ordain, and that heretics are not entitled to perform these functions after they apostatize, he adds, "Quod totum nos jampridem "in Iconio, qui Phrygiæ locus est, collecti in unum con"venientibus ex Galatia, et Cilicia, et cæteris proxime

*

regionibus confirmavimus, tenendum contra hæreticos firmiter et vindicandum :" i. e. "All which many of us,

"The unanimity" (says Marshall, in his Notes upon Cyprian, which I have just now seen) "wherewith this question was carried "at this early period of the church), shews that infant-baptism,

'

even at this time, was no novel usage: there was no manner of "dispute, whether infants should be baptised; but whether be"fore the eighth day or not; to which the unanimous resolution was, that the grace of God should be denied to none.' It is hoped that the reader, for the sake of the observation, will pardon the little digression contained in this note. And it is trusted that those who are desirous of ascertaining the truth upon this subject, and have not an opportunity of perusing the more laborious Treatises of Wall and Williams, will not be displeased with the author, if he recommend to their attention, at least in support of infant-baptism, the very ingenious pamphlet of Peter Edwards, who, for eleven years, was an Antipedobaptist minister, but renounced that connection; the Dissertation of Pirie, and his Defence of that Dissertation; the manly reasoning of the late venerable Dr. Erskine, in his Sermon upon that subject, in the second volume of his Discourses; and Three Sermons upon Baptism, by Dr. Lathrop of America, which, while they are peculiarly adapted, from their admirable perspicuity, to the plainest readers, from the solidity of reasoning and acuteness of judgment which they discover, are worthy of the perusal of the most enlightened. These Discourses have lately been republished in Scotland, and sell for a trifle.