Theyexaltedtheunityandpowerofthechurch，asitwasrepresentedintheEpiscopalOffice，ofwhicheverybishopenjoyedanequalandundividedportion。^117Princesandmagistrates，itwasoftenrepeated，mightboastanearthlyclaimtoatransitorydominion；itwastheepiscopalauthorityalonewhichwasderivedfromtheDeity，andextendeditselfoverthisandoveranotherworld。ThebishopswerethevicegerentsofChrist，thesuccessorsoftheapostles，andthemysticsubstitutesofthehighpriestoftheMosaiclaw。Theirexclusiveprivilegeofconferringthesacerdotalcharacter，invadedthefreedombothofclericalandofpopularelections；
andif，intheadministrationofthechurch，theystillconsultedthejudgmentofthepresbyters，ortheinclinationofthepeople，theymostcarefullyinculcatedthemeritofsuchavoluntarycondescension。Thebishopsacknowledgedthesupremeauthoritywhichresidedintheassemblyoftheirbrethren；butinthegovernmentofhispeculiardiocese，eachofthemexactedfromhisflockthesameimplicitobedienceasifthatfavoritemetaphorhadbeenliterallyjust，andasiftheshepherdhadbeenofamoreexaltednaturethanthatofhissheep。^118Thisobedience，however，wasnotimposedwithoutsomeeffortsononeside，andsomeresistanceontheother。Thedemocraticalpartoftheconstitutionwas，inmanyplaces，verywarmlysupportedbythezealousorinterestedoppositionoftheinferiorclergy。Buttheirpatriotismreceivedtheignominiousepithetsoffactionandschism；andtheepiscopalcausewasindebtedforitsrapidprogresstothelaborsofmanyactiveprelates，who，likeCyprianofCarthage，couldreconciletheartsofthemostambitiousstatesmanwiththeChristianvirtueswhichseemadaptedtothecharacterofasaintandmartyr。^119
[Footnote117:Cyprian，inhisadmiredtreatiseDeUnitateEcclesiae。p。75—86]
[Footnote118:WemayappealtothewholetenorofCyprian\'sconduct，ofhisdoctrine，andofhisepistles。LeClerc，inashortlifeofCyprian，BibliothequeUniverselle，tom。xii。p。
207—378，haslaidhimopenwithgreatfreedomandaccuracy。]