but vnto the primitiue Church vnder the Apostles and their Successors during the first three or foure hundred yeeres of her puritie so that from the estate of the Church in that time are all our Reformations to be sought apparantly and what we haue transgressed against that is to bee referred againe and ruled by that and by no later times Albeit generall Councells and great numbers of learned men were more frequent thereafter for all the world doth know that as learning grew so grew corruption and so grew curiositie to couer the same so grew contention ambition and heresie To proue by many arguments the sinceritie of the Primitiue Church or the reasons why wee should appeale to her for reformation it is not necessarie The holy and great Doctor S. Augustine giueth such a testimonie as leaueth no suspicion that saith he which the holy primitiue Church obserued although it was not concluded by Counsells but alwaies retayned non nisi authoritate Apostolica traditum rectissime creditur it is most rightly beleeued to haue been no other then an Apostolicall institution Againe saith he to dispute whether that which the holy primitiue Church through the world did obserue should bee now receiued or not receiued insolentissimae est insaniae it is a most mad insolence In which wee marke these two First that hee doth not limitate the primitue Church to the daies of Christ and his Apostles but hee speaketh of a primitiue Church flourishing throw the world Secondly that he doth not tye the credit of the primitiue Church to the authoritie neither of Councels although hee saith it was not concluded in Councells Yea farther all the Councells themselues which followed the primitiue Church did cloath them with the authoritie thereof their Meetings Registers Decrees Canonicall letters and whatsoeuer was were founded vpon this secundum veterem consuetudinem Patrum nostrorum according to the ancient custome of our Fathers For example long before the Councell of Nice the patriarchall Bishops were in authoritie albeit there was no such thing in the daies of the Apostles because there was then no combination of Prouinces conuerted to the faith and in that Councell it was called an ancient custome And in the Councell of Ephesus there was a question decided betwixt a patriarchall Bishop and the Bishop of Cyprus where any man may see if it was not said Secundum vetus decretum Patrum nostrorum And certainely it is an infallible argument of the integritie and vpright meaning which hath been in the proto-reformators of Germanie to heare their willingnesse to follow antiquitie where it was not contrarie to Gods word These are the speeches of Luthor and Bucer touching the retentions of indifferent ceremonies of the Church of Rome Sciant publica pacis causa non detracturos c. we will not say they be against the brooking of ceremonies and traditions receiued in the Popes Church from antiquitie vpon these conditions that the consciences of men be not thereby bound as by fundamentall grounds of faith but that the doctrine Euangelicall of free iustification by faith in Christ remaine inuiolate and that say they not only speaking of festiuall daies musicke organs clericall vestiments which be things indifferent sed etiam de ieiunio ciborum delectu qua magis pungunt but also touching fasting and choyce of meats which be more controuerted points O what a holy and Christian disposition was that what a zeale to the vnitie of the Catholike Church and how contrary to many malignant and seditious spirits which be now in Christs Church who haue no voyces as I haue said but of debate and contradiction contending for Scholasticke tryumph and victorie in place to cry to Gods people that which the Prophets were commanded to cry Annâ—…cia populo meo scelera corum domui Iacob peccata illâ—…rum Threaten my people for their sinnes and the house of Iacob for their iniquities they cry that wee should learne subtle and curious controuersies of Religion many of them bee as profound as prophane they teach Christians to bee obstinate and stubborne in trifling points they teach them to heat one another and to abhorre all meanes of pacification their voice is like vnto the voice of the Eagle in the Apocalyps who tripled her cry vae vae vae habitantibus in terra woe bee to the inhabitants of the earth because they haue broken the bonds of Christian peace and harmonie The fire of our Christian charitie is quite extinguished it is become like vnto that fire mentioned in the booke intituled Esdras which before the captiuitie of Persia was hidden in a pitt by some deuout Priest of Ierusalem that it should not dye out and being againe sought vpon the returne of Nehemiah the Text sayes non invenerunt ignem sed aquam crassam they found no fire but a grosse water In place that through the fire of mutuall loue we should seeke with the Doue to remaine together in the Arke of the Catholike faith Religious men are gone out with the Rauen to hunt carrions among the waters of this world following the sent of honour ambition and wealth Priests seeking to bee Monarches the Clergie becomming factious and irreconciliable hunting after the vaine glorie of learning Ephraim pascit ventum sequitur aestum Ephraim feeds vpon the winde that I thinke bee pastorall follies and neglect the world was neuer so pregnant and raging with the twelue abuses of the earth A wise man without works an olde man without religion a youth without obedience a rich man without almes a woman without shamefastnesse a Master of a house without vertue a poore man proud a King vniust a Bishop negligent a people without discipline a Preacher without humilitie and finally a Christian contentious These be the waters wherein wee are drowned waters whereof the Prophet Dauid hath said Saluum Domine me fac quoniam intrauerunt aquae vsque ad animam meaâ—… Preserue me ô Lord because the waters haue entred into my soule and all these for our proud contempt of Christian simpathie and loue whereof if our spirituall Rulers of Gods people did retaine some true sparkles aquae multae non poterunt extinguere charitatem many waters could not extinguish the heat of charitie Miserable are those Pastors who altogether want this diuine inspiration of Christian concord which was in Luther and Bucer Uaeijs qui sequuntur spiritum suum non videt woe shall be to them who follow their owne spirit and doe not see Let them remember how the Wiseman saith durissimum erit iudicium his qui praesunt most hard shall be the iudgement of those who are placed to ouer-watch people whereof the Prophet Daniel giueth the reason Egressa est iniquitas a senioribus ab ijs qui videbantur regere populum saith hee Iniquity is gone out from the Elders and from those who seemed to bee leaders of the people and how the Prophet Ezechiel doth in his
hereses aborta sunt nisi dum Episcopus contemnitur homo dignatione Dei honoratus ab indignis hominibus iudicatur from whence are heresies saith he but because vnworthy men doe censure and despise him whom God hath honoured with preferment Basilius saith that the vnitie of the Church doth depend from the vnitie of the Bishop and that the erection of a second Bishop within one Diocesse vnlesse it be to help and assist him by his own consent hath euer been esteemed the breeding of schisme but of all the Auncients Saint Ierom doth best cleare the truth of this point euen hee who is pretended to be flagellum Episcopâ—… the scourge of Bishops as you shall see It is true indeed that Ierom writing vpon the first of the Epistle to Titus hath once called the Episcopall authoritie rather a custome then an Apostolicall Tradition saying thus Before that by instinct of the Deuill there were factions in the Church and that it was said among the people I am of Paul I am of Apollo and I of Cephas the Church was gouerned by the common consent of the Presbyters but after through all the world it was decreed that one of the Presbyters should be placed aboue the rest to whom should apperteine the whole Ecclesiasticall care and extirpation of schisme Thus far Iâ—…m Out of which words the Presbyterians doe extort this consequence that the primitiue Church was gouerned by presbyteriall policie without Bishops to this the answer is first if it were granted to come in by a consueted and not by a primitiue tradition Yet the consequence is voyde against Bishops vnlesse we will say that Presbyters and Deacons were not neither an Apostolicall ordination because in the beginning the Apostles did gouerne the Church without both these by consent of the people as it is manifest by the Epistle to Titus as Creta Corynth Ephesus and Philippi before they had Episcopus or Presbyter whom when they did receiue the Church did yet remaine vnder the rule of the Apostles Secondly it is answered where hee speakes of the choosing of one Presbyter aboue the rest for taking order with schismes that schismes were begun in the Apostles ownetime so that this same election hath been also then begun or otherwise that the Apostles haue not been so wise as their Successors which were absurd to hold Thirdly it is answered that reason of Ierom taketh away Deacons as well as Bishops because the murmurations of the Greekes against the Hebrewes moued that institution as wee know which was not in the beginning Fourthly it is answered this opinion of Ierom is singular and perhaps of temerarious and discontented humour hee being but a Presbyter For while he speaketh of a noueltie in the Church accepted through all the world he should haue put downe the time by particular circumstances otherwise hee leaueth his opinion weake and obnoxious Lastly the answer is The best Doctors of the Church haue erred in their writts and haue set downe their Retractions as Augustâ—… so is it of veritie that Ierom hath mended himselfe 〈◊〉 this particular 〈◊〉 hath made an ample palinode and Recantation 〈◊〉 in this argument it is ouer past and suppressed by the presbyterian Cleargie as if none but they could finde it out In his epistle to Euagrius Alexandria inquit 〈◊〉 Marco Euangelista â—…sque ad Heracliâ—… 〈◊〉 Episcopos Presbyteri vnum ex sese electum in excelsiori gradâ—… collocatuâ—… ad tollenda schismata Episcopum 〈◊〉 quomodo si exercituâ—… Imperatorem faciat At Alexandriâ—… from Saint Marke the Euangelist vntill Heracliâ—… and Dionisius Bishops The Presbyters did â—…ill choose one of themselues to bee aboue them for auoyding of schismes whom they called Bishop euen aâ—…if an armie should create an Emperour Againe in the preamble of his Commentaries vpon Mattheâ—… he saith that Markâ—… was the first Bishop of Alexandria that 〈◊〉 dyâ—… 〈◊〉 thâ—… times of the Apostles the seuenth yeare of Nero he doth testifie in his Catalogue Script ecclesinst that which is true thaâ—… Ananiâ—… suereeded him therefore it must follow of his owne words that he was 〈◊〉 by them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 exeroituâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 aâ—… an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ate an Emperour Thirdly in an otherplace most plainâ—… Totius Ecclesiâ—… salutâ—…m à Summâ—… 〈◊〉 dignâ—…ate 〈◊〉 câ—… si non exors abâ—…mnibus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 potestâ—… tâ—… in Ecelesia efficereÌ„â—…r schisâ—…ta quot Sacerdâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he The Churches prosperitio doth relieâ—…n the 〈◊〉 of the chiefe Priest or Bishop of the Church 〈◊〉 if hee haue not granted vnto him a free power aboue the rest there would be as many schismes as Priests withâ—… the Church so that Ierom must confesse that â—…rke and Anianâ—… at Alexâ—… and 〈◊〉 and Ignaâ—… 〈◊〉 Antioch were constitute by the ordiâ—…ce of ouâ—… Sâ—…our or then that the Apostles did institute 〈◊〉 to the minde of Christ which is absâ—…d to holâ—… 〈◊〉 lastlâ—… the conclusion of thaâ—… Epistle as I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…lated doth referre the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Iewish Church in which speeches first and last of Ierom we doe not onely obserue the great benefit redounding to the Church by Bishops and the end why they were created for vnitie and auoyding of schismes but we doe in like manner marke the antiquitie of that policie from S. Marke and the authoritie and power thereof as if an Armie should choose an Emperour saith hee and the succession thereof to Dionisius and lastly the vniuersalitie thereof Decretum erat in toto orbe terrarum saith hee It was decreed throughout the whole world wherevpon hee hath concluded that the weale of the Church doth depend à Summi Sacerdotis dignitate from the worth of the Bishop After that some of the inferiour Clerkes who did assist the informall election of Nouatian in the place of Cornelius were againe reduced vnto the Catholike Church their penitence was declared in these words We are not ignorant that there is one God one Christ one holy Ghost one Bishop into one Church whereby wee see that vnitie was the end of Episcopall institution When Constantine at the instance of the deuout Matrons of Rome licenced Liberius to returne but withall appointed that Church gouernment to bee common betwixt him and Felix The faithfull people deriding that ordinance of the Arrian Emperour cryed aloud as Theodore writeth one God one Church one Bishop So that antiquitie doth euer ascribe the benefit of vnitie in the Church vnto that apostolicall and ancient policie Thirdly for testimonies for the succession of the Bishops in the Church from the Apostles hitherto there be so many that for a short rehearsall one knoweth not what to choose Against the Bishopricks of Titus and Timothie many things bee idly pretended which are plainly discussed by those Theologues who haue expresly handled this question but against those who doe alledge that they remained not at Ephesus and Creta numbers of Authors beare witnesse Dorothaus in Synopsi Soph in Catal in tot Ifidorus de vita morte
of his Church and a conspicuous marke of his extraordinarie grace vouchsafed vpon this great Kingdome I say extraordinarie for if the Papall Bishops while they doe impugne the truth of Gods word forbidding marriage to authorise the doctrine of their coelibat they do not the lesse contaminate the same with lewd and open pollutions and your Grace all in contrarie while you doe stand for the Euangelicall libertie of Matrimanie you doe in the meane time by the puritie of your life practise the perfection of the cloysterrall Caelibat taking vnto you that religious word of the more innocent and vertuous ages Si placet licet I thinke it is a cleere mirrour wherein the world may see that it is the good spirit of God who doeth freely distribute his extraordinarie giftes to such faithfull Prelates as worship him according to the trueth of his word and that no vsurped authoritie of Popish or humane traditions can doe so much And since there is no better meanes to make your GRACES Excellent and spirituall partes tanquam Thus redolens in Templo Domini as was said of that worthie Priest Symon Onia to smell as a sweete perfume in the LORDS house then by continuing your delight to cherish the studie of vertue where it is found in the most remote partes of the land which is indeede a sauorie presage of that perfect vnitie which God doeth dispose to bee in the whole Church of the same Therefore let it please your GRACE to receiue these first and tender Seedes of my publike Seruice to God to my most Sacred Soueraigne PRINCE and to this Common-wealth whereof you are the first vitall member and so to nourish them by the kindly ayre of your vertuous spirit that they may bee found to produce a happie fruite that is to say a fruite which hath not aborted nor hurt his bearer by vntimely partting with it but comming to maturitie prooueth wholesome to all those who taste it and leaueth the Tree in full vigour and reputation Your Graces humble and affectionate sermant P. Hay TO THE CHRISTIAN READER CHristian and curteous Reader this Treatise which I haue framed for the glory of God the comfort of his Church and the seruice of this common-weale wherein wee liue why it is Intituled A vision of Balaams Asse you may perceiue in the entry thereof It containeth in speciall these three First the cause of my voluntary recantation of Popery Secondly a cleere discouery of the tyranny of Rome mounted in our time to her Meridian or Altitude And of the treacherous trade and doctrine of the Iesuite who doth falsly maintaine the Papall Soueraigntie tending to the ouerthrow of Christian Princes and states Thirdly a discourse of the apparant approach of her reformation or downefall and of the probable meanes whereby the Lord God doth dispose the restitution of Christian people from the spirituall captiuity of this Babel with a sincere exhortation to you to honour aswell the meanes as the instruments whom God doth pointforth for the aduancement of this great worke as you haue them here set downe in particular In the which exhortation if any thing be that vpon the suddaine seemeth distastfull to you I do entreate you that you will not for that rashly reiect it but do taste it againe and againe remembring how oftentimes disgusts do grow rather by the distemper of our sence then by any fault which is in our meats As a diseased person must for the sake of his health controle his naturall appetite and as nature in generall who seldome doth erre by offering violence vnto her particular members for her common benefite doth proue a good Physitian to her selfe So if wee cannot straine our priuate humours for a publike weale wee are senselesse and cauterized members of the commonweale and our diseases when they come they shall be desperate and deadly It was a worthy saying of him who spake so Omnis magna lex habet aliquid iniquitatis that euery great law had something of iniquitie in it not that any expresse iniustice was in the law but because when so many liue within their own Spheares onely to themselues without respect to the commonwealth it is impossible to establish any great law which shall not bring displeasure to those particular members whose actions are not ruled by common equity common reason or common good If we doe grudge against our lawes or our lawgiuers because they are not pleasant to our peculiar taste we be farre inferiour in true vertue to the Ethnicks who thought it the chiefest mark of their vertuous mind and their greatest glory to remit proper losses proper grudges and proper opinions to the common wealth The precise Cato Vticensis who might haue brooked the first dignities vnder Iulius Caesar because it was not to his mind he chose rather to die then to liue distracted in opinion from the state That vpright Philosopher Socrates hauing in his choice to be banished or to die he embraced death saying that a man cast off from his common wealth was no more a man Is it not strange then amongst vs in whom that obscure light of nature which onely did guide them is made celestiall by the diuine splendor of Gods reuealed word to see that a Christian Pastor before he will quit singularitie of opinion and singularity of name to our common wealth spirituall to the peace and credit of our Church conforming himselfe to orthodoxall lawes established by the authoritie of a most Christian Prince a setled Church and well gouerned state he will first choose either to liue at home a seditious tribune In perpetuo obstrepitâ—… or a trasfuga exiled from his natiue countrey Certainely where there is no perfect vnitie there can be no perfect peace nor perfect loue and consequently no Church because these are the whole scope of the Euangell and of all true Religion Vnanimitie is the bond which maketh the Church strong Ecce circumdedi te vinculis saith God in Ezechiel Behold I haue hedged you about with bands It is the knot and sinnewes which tye the members of Christ together in one body and therfore is so diligently recommended by him to his Apostles and so oftentimes figured to vs in the old Testament by tipes By the vestiment of the high Priest wherof euery thing was tied to another all being but one piece By the Tabernacle wherof euery thing was iointed in an other the whole standing in coniunction for wee bee so called in the Apocal. Ecce tabernaculum Dei cum heminibus habitabit cuâ—…ijs The Tabernacle of God which dwelleth among men By the vessels whereof so many as were not closed together but were open in diuers pieces they were said by the spirit of God to bee vncleane as we see in the Booke of Numbers We are the vessels who be made by the hand of our heauenly Potter of whom Saint Paul saith Alia quidem in honorem alio verò vasa in contumeliam If we be
he shal trauell through strange Countries where he may try the good and euill among men and when the great God will he shall be filled with the spirit of vnderstanding that he may poure out wise sententences which is the reason why in men who haue trauelled we doe looke commonly for some accession of knowledge for that cause it is that I who also among others haue brought the eyes of people vpon me in this kind of expectation doe find my selfe bound by some vertuous discharge to iustifie my peregrination beyond Seas esteemed by many in that season of my age and in so meane a state as I doe possesse to haue beene vntimemous temerary perillous and vnprofitable And which hath beene most vildely calumniated by diuers of your Lordships profession among whom a certaine one of good worth did as I was enformed giue this iudgement of me that I had gone abroad the voyage of King Saul to bring home my Fathers Asses which bitter insectation with many such like tempests of mens tongues I haue sithence like a true and vpright Asse borne foorth with no other armour then patience vntill now being curious in what sort I might best pay this expectation of good men and best emancipate my selfe from this persecution of malignant mouthes I haue chosen to assay if I can inspire into erroneous mindes specially into your Lordship some disposition to better opinions in this time of your so great exigence and necessitie you stand in to resolue First the vniuersall and seruent desires of our Countrey euen from his Maiestie our most gracious Soueraigne to the beggar to see your Lo reduced to a saithfull sympathy and communion with the rest being otherwaies so noble a member of this kingdome as you are tam grauis constans tamque bonarum partium in Rempublicam this doth make it a good seruice to God and to the common wealth secondly the great honour and dutie which I owe to your Lordship for the great honour which I haue by you to be sprung from that ancient and famous bloud of your house doth infinitely tye mee to this endeauour who if I were a meere stranger to your Lordship must yet thinke it my honour to be sufficient for your seruice thirdly the opportunity which I haue by this publike discharge to render vnto the world an ingenious accompt of my selfe it doth conioyne with these a priuate respect of mine owne So it is that the Prelates and Preachers of Gods word who bring in their mouthes the medicine of Christian soules they cannot moue your Lo nor enter vpon your minde so haue you intrenched the same within the common subterfuges of vniuersality Antiquitie and succession of the Church of insufficiency of the holy Scripture of authority of humane supplement and traditions and while you are brought to the Fathers now quarelling the edition of bookes and now againe betaking your selfe to your Implieita fides like vnto that Marriner who hauing lost his loadestarre in a darke night he wandereth but knoweth not his course The Israelites had no other guid through the deserts then the pillar of fire which was in the cloude who once looseth the cleere light of the Euangel which is a bright starre placed to conduct vs through the wildernesse of humane wisdome he shall neuer finde out his right course into the land of holinesse And whiles your Lordship remaines thus inflexible against so many learned and graue Diuines It would like enough be thought presumption and arrogancie in me to deale with you if the spirit of God did not testifie that in great workes the helpe of weake instruments is not to be despised When Mosci builded the Tabernacle of God there came vnto him not onely all the wise men to whom the Lord gaue wisdome saith the text Sed quemcunque etiam extulerat animus vt adid opus accederet but euen euery man whose heart did encourage him to furder that businesse The voice of a goose did once preserue the Capitol of Rome I confesse I haue gotten no more of Theologie then serueth for my owne prouision yet who knowes but by my dealing it may fall foorth to your Lordship which hath happened to numbers of diseased persons who hauing spent much time and much money among the Physicians and neuer a whit recouered they haue in end by good fortune attained vnto their health by hearing some trauelling beggar relate that which hath been done to himselfe or to some other man in such a case euen so I being no Physitian but bringing some Empiricall medicine to your Lordship who haue renounced your physitians I may possibly as God grant it proue so doe some good to you by a faithfull narration of that which in the like disease hath befallen vnto my selfe and of the chiefe things which hath bread to mee distaste of the Church of Rome after I had so diligently and painefully considered the same But before I will enter into this discourse Empiricall or of exeperience my conscience doth moue me to say this by the way of the authority and power of Gods blessed word that as it would be reputed a strange dulnesse and ignorance in nature not to preferre those physitians who knowing the right simples vse no medicaments vnto those others who flying the simples and practising by filthy and composed drugges doe more often prooue murtherers then Physitians Euen so in spirituall eures what a pitie is it that your Lo should thinke the Preachers of Gods word who minister no other food of the soule but the pure and simple Scripture to be insufficient to helpe you that this liuely and incorruptible Word should be reiected of you to embrace in place thereof a word composed and mixed with humane inuentions that nourishing word whereof it is said Nor in solo pane vinit home sed in omni verbe quod procedit de ore Dei And which in effect did feed Moses fortie daies in the mountaine That pure and simple word whereof it is said Comedetis panes azymos non firmâ—…tes You shal eat simple bread and not that which is leauened to shew that it cannot endure the drosse and mixture of humane wisdome That word of true life Verba quâ—…â—…go loquor spiritus vita sunt the words which I speake are Spirit and life saith our Sauiour in Saint Iohn That word of healing and curing whereof Dauid saith Miâ—… verbum suum sâ—…it 〈◊〉 That word which restoreth to life againe those who be already dead Ossa arida ossa arida audite verbum Domini and presently life entred into them as the Prophet doth testifie That word of finall safety whereof Saint Iames saith Suspicâ—… 〈◊〉 quod potest saâ—…re animas vestras That word which is so entire so plaine and like vnto it selfe in old and new Testament that they bee no other then a perfect harmony of spirituall musike The former the prophesie of our Sauiour and the latter his exhibition the one
and his tyranny againe intercepted by Henry the seuenth These were the infinite effusions of natiue bloud during that tempest of Naufrage wherein their Writers doe collect haue beene sixteene or 17 seuerall pitched battells the slaughter of nine Kings or Kings sonnes forty Dukes Marquesses and Earles 200000. of the popular And what extraordinary punishment haue wee in our time seene inflicted vpon the persons houses and states of diuerse disloyall subiects who haue attempted to abuse the sacred authority of our most gracious Soueraigne certaine it is a ground in reason a tryall in experience a conclusion of all politickes and warranted by Gods word in holy Scripture strengthened with the opinion of graue Doctors of the Church That Rebellon doeth euer moue greater mischiefe then Tyranny CHAP. X. A defence of Episcopall gouernment by diuerse most cleere and ingenuous reasons NOw wee come to conside◅ what affinitie the Church gouernment hath with those others whereof we haue spoken before the written Law of Moses God did elect so many Patriarckes to rule his first Church Enoc Noah Abraham Isaac Iacob and others And our Sauiour before the written Law of the Euangel or of grace hee did elect so many Apostles to rule the second whereof the former was the type when the numbers of the beleeuers did increase euen vnto Moses were adioyned seuenty to assist him in his charge so did Christ next his twelue Apostles elect seuenty Disciples In Israel there were many particular Princes and Elders of the people who did rule euery man his own Centuries and Chiliads but these seuenty were created to beare vniuersal rule as we collect frō the words of Moses Ego solus ferre omnem populum istum non possum I only cannot beare the charge of this people answere Congregatibi gather vnto you which is to be his Collegues and yet they were subordinate for while Moses went to the mountaine he left a deputation ouer the people Ecce Aaron Hur. If any man haue controuersie let him come to Aaron and Hur euen so these seuenty Disciples howsoeuer they were adioyned to the Apostles yet they were subordinate and inferiour the Apostles being still chosen to be conuersant with Christ constant witnesses of all his actions and onely intire with him like vnto Moses who onely went vp to talke with God We read in the twelfth of the Acts how the Apostles found Iustus and Matthias onely sufficient of all the rest to succeed in the place of Iudas argument enough of the Apostolicall superiority ouer them Luke againe and Marke were of good authorities among the Apostles because they were the Euangelical Historians yet were they not of the seuenty Euangelists being elected by men and not our Sauiour as Tertullian writeth of Luke Non Apostolus sed Apostolicus non Magister sed Discipulus vtique Magistro minor Not an Apostle but Apostolicall no Master but Disciple and alwaies inferiour to the Master That diuerse had the holy spirit as the Apostles who were not yet their equals it is euident after their dispersion Philip did Euangelize at Samaria but Peter Iohn were sent to constitute the churches The holy spirit without the ministery of S. Paul did come vpon Cornelius and his company for besides these two orders of Apostles and Disciples there was a third among the number of an hundred who were present at the choosing of Matthias besides the twelue Apostles and seuenty Disciples there were thirty eight who beene in neither ordination were Prophets as all the learned do affirme who treat of this point of which number was Annamas and Agabus endued with propheticall spirits to impart to the Church diuers reuelations which they had Touching these againe who were thereafter called Episcopi Presbiteri we see that in the Apostles daies the Church was a while without them the first mention of of that order we finde it in the Church of Ierusalem in the twelfth of the Acts for so long as the Apostles and Euangelists did remaine there was neither Episcopus nor Presbyter but after they were disseuered Iames being beheaded and Peter fled then did they enter from that forth Luke doth coniunctly report of them with the Apostles Saint Paul so like vnto himselfe in all his Epistles we cannot thinke that without a reason in his Epistle to the Philipians hee hath giuen salutation to the Episcopi and Diaconi and hath not done so in the rest of his Epistles In that Epistle to the Romanes hee salutes diuers whom he calles his co-operarij or fellow labourers as Andronicus and Vrbanus famous among the Apostles And of the Domestick Church which was some while at Ephesus and somewhile at Corinth to these hee giues them their owne praises yet doth he not call them Episcopi nor Presbyteri as hee doth Epaphroditus in that to the Philipians And Archippus in that to the Colossians when hee came to Rome we read how hee was receiued but by no Presbiteri which had not beene omitted if that ordination had beene then among them more then it is omitted in the 15. and 21. of the Acts where he is said to be receiued of Presbyters all this time there was no Presbiteri yet planted other then Timothy Titus Apollo Luke Stephen Fortun. Achai and a few others whom the Apostles did send vpon occasions nor these Churches had then no other Bishop but S. Paul In the meane time the Apostles and the Euangelists did at their commodities visit them as Epiphan and Ambrosiu◅ beare witnesse Epiphanius thus while the preaching of the Gospell was but resent the holy Apostle write according to the time and to things that were where there were Episcopi hee write to them and vnto Diaconi where they were for the Apostles did not ordinate saith hee al things vpon the sudden there was great neede of Presbiteri and Diaconi vnder the Apostles because by these Ecclesiasticall function is perfect Where none was found worthy of Episcopall charge that place did remaine without a Bishop for they being no great multitude of beleeuers saith he they were no great numbers found capable of the Presbyterat therefore the Church at that time did rest vnder the Apostolike Bishopricke till with time things grew to greater perfection in which words we doe obserue this that in the beginning while the Apostolicall mission was limited to Iudea Christ did onely chuse 12. Apostles and 70. Disciples but after the Legation was generall both to Iew and Gentile they tooke vnto them co-operarij Euangelists Prophets and others and when the Gospell beganne to spred they did institute Episcopi and Presbyteri So that Christs Church was planted by the like beginnings and had the like growth of policie as that of Ierusalem both hauing their originall in the persons of Moses the figure and Christ the man figured and both with time diuoluing by little and little into a diuersity of subordinate rulers of whom the Apostle setteth downe the cleere distinction and imparity giuing