Diocesan churches not yet discovered in the primitive times

I did not say Theodoret affirms they were no more, than could meet in one Church, but he says the same in effect, viz. that all the Brethren assembled with Alexander. His words are, Alexander, the Church rejoicing, held an Assembly with all the Brethren, praying and greatly glorifying God. The words are plain, and the sense, I take them in, is open in the face of them. Nor do I believe that any disinterested person would put any other sense upon them than this, that the generality of Christians of which the Church at Constantinople consisted, assembled together with their Bishop Alexander, to praise God joyfully for their deliverance by the death of Arius. But he will not have the words taken in a general sense, but will suppose them taken with respect to that particular Congregation, in which Arius was to be reconciled. Yet this supposition hath no ground either in the words, or in the contexture of the Discourse, or any where else that I know of, or our Author either; for if he had, we should have heard it with both ears, as he speaks elsewhere. He will not have all the Brethren, to be all the Believers at C. P. yet he knows that Brethren and Believers are Synonymous terms both in Scripture and ancient Authors. And those were the Believers or Brethren of the Church of C. P. which had occasion to rejoice, and that was the whole Church there: as for [Greek or Hebrew], rendered Universi, I do not take it for all and every one of the Christians there; for in all Assemblies, of great Churches especially, many are always absent. He had dealt more fairly with Theodoret, if by all he would have understood the generality of Christians adhering to Alexander at C. P. or the greatest part of them, and ⟨p. 16⟩about such an abatement of the full import of the word, there had been no need to contend; but his restraint of it to a particular Congregation agrees not with the words, nor the occasion of them, nor hath any support elsewhere.

I did not say Theodoret affirms they were no more, than could meet in one Church, but he sayes the same in effect, viz. that all the Brethren assembled with Alexander. His words are, Alexander, the Church rejoycing, hcld an Assembly with all the Brethren, praying and greatly glorifying God. The words are plain, and the sense, I take them in, is open in the face of them. Nor do I believe that any disinterested person would put any other sense upon them than this, that the generality of Christians of which the Church at Constantinople consisted, assembled together with their Bishop Alexander, to praise God joyfully for their deliverance by the death of Arius. But he will not have the words taken in a general sense, but will suppose them taken with respect to that particular Congregation, in which Arius was to be reconciled. Yet this supposition hath no ground either in the words, or in the contexture of the Discourse, or any where else that I know of, or our Author either; for if he had, we should have heard it with both ears, as he speaks elsewhere. He will not have all the Brethren, to be all the Believers at C. P. yet he knows that Brethren and Believers are Synonymous terms both in Scripture and ancient Authors. And those were the Believers or Brethren of the Church of C. P. which had occasion to rejoyce, and that was the whole Church there: as for , render'd Ʋniversi, I do not take it for all and every one of the Christians there; for in all Assemblies, of great Churches especially, many are alwayes absent. He had dealt more fairly with Theodoret, if by all he would have understood the generality of Christians adhereing to Alexander at C. P. or the greatest part of them, and