Church-history of the government of bishops and their councils abbreviated including the chief part…

§. 16. The Apostles set usually more than one of these Elders or Bishops in every Church, not as if one might not rule the Flock where no more was necessary, but according to their needs, that the work might not be undone for want of Ministers.

§. 16. The Apostles set usually more than one of these Elders or Bishops in every Church, not as if one might not rule the Flook where no more was necessary, but according to their needs, that the work might not be undone for want of Ministers.

§. 17. They planted their Churches usually in Cities, because Christians comparatively to the rest were few (as Sects are among us) and no where else usually enough for a Society, and because the Neighbour-scattered Villages might best come to the Cities near them; not but that it was ⟨p. 6⟩lawful to plant Churches in the Country, where there were enough to constitute them, and sometimes they did so, as by Clemens Roman. ad Corinth by History appeareth.

§. 18. Grotius thinketh that one City at first had divers Churches and Bishops and that they were gathered after the manner of the Synagogues; and Dr. Hammond thinketh that for some time there were two Churches and Bishops in many Cities, one of Jews and one of Gentiles; and that in Rome Paul and Peter had two Churches, whom Linus and Cletus did succeed, till they were united in Clemens.